


Offshore

by withyouandthemoon



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, Mermaid!Caroline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-22 00:21:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13155168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withyouandthemoon/pseuds/withyouandthemoon
Summary: Klaus is trying to retrieve a coffin from the bottom of the ocean with his sister in it. He is about to find out that he's being watched by a certain sea creature. Deals are made, stories are told, and a trip they go on. But how far will they go?





	Offshore

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Angelikah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelikah/gifts).



> For Angie, whose prompt list gave me so much inspiration. Hope you enjoy it!

_Cornflower blue_ was a joke, albeit an aesthetically pleasing one.

In oceans this deep there is no light, no color, only darkness that stretches for miles and years. Cold, greedy monstrosity that feeds on anything in sight, including itself. A place where anything lost can never be found, and anything becoming is snuffed out before the first cracking of its eyelids.

Klaus feels as if he were digging into his own heart as he kicks into the void behind to push himself further down. He mentally waves the disturbing thought away. Must be hallucinating. Which shouldn’t be a surprise since he’s been going at this for hours.

The salt in the water burns his eyes, the lack of oxygen burns his lungs, and the constant humming of currents or bubbles or whatever bloody sea creatures faraway burns his eardrums.

If he isn’t so frustrated he’d probably reflect on how funny it is that with the heightened senses, almost everything appears to vampires in the form of some kind of touch. The warmth of sunlight an incessant tapping on the skin, the fruity flavor of a fine wine a gentle caress on the taste buds, the feeling of loneliness and abandonment a cold tightening grip on unknown parts of the heart.

And the water seems to only amplify that effect.

Klaus transfers those unbidden thoughts and, god forbid, _emotions_ , into a violent force, running it through his veins and every seam of his bones like he always does. He kicks faster, he pushes harder, and he ignores all the screaming discomforts of his body. This he can do-bracing through the physical suffering, and going forward, all consequences be damned.

He has always been the reckless one anyway.

But recklessness can’t seem to help this time, like the tens or hundreds of times just before. He’s come slightly further this round, but still not far enough. He can barely see the edge of the trench, lying there like a dark sneer. And just stuck several feet down, the deceiving gleam of the wood surface. It’s almost like a hallucination in this mind-numbing darkness but Klaus knows it’s there. He can _feel_ it.

He’s so close. Just a few more pushes and he will be there. Just a few more seconds, he will be able to touch the cold cage he built for the one person that he hasn’t parted with for the entirety of his life. But in those few moments he will also burn out the scarce oxygen that’s left in his blood and thus fall into a temporary death.

For a split second Klaus considers the idea of dying, however short-lasting it may be. He can hear his own heart beating in his chest so hard the ocean seems to pulse along with it, and he’s almost paralyzed with the consuming sensation-dread or anticipation he cannot tell-that his heart picks up way faster than his head.

But suddenly he senses something in the corner of his eyes, or rather, in the margin of his sensory range. An unusual movement of the currents, or a weird reflection. And yet what really alarms him is the feeling that hasn’t cheated him once since he became a vampire-that he’s being _watched_.

With the remaining strength and the spiking adrenaline induced by potential threat, he torpedoes to the surface of water, all the way sensing the unknown creature tailing him stealthily.

The second he steps onto the shore where he’s left his shirt and shoes, he spins around to face the water, now completely still without even a ripple in sight. But he can still feel those eyes staring at him from somewhere down the surface, so he glares back. Though he leaves his voice calm and smooth, almost playful-no need to bring out the main course just yet, he likes to work up his appetite a little.

“I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced yet, my friend.” His lips curl around the words like a nice warm sugar coat, “and that just won’t do.”

The water answers him with dark silence.

 _Checkmate_? No, he doesn’t think so. And his opinion bloody matters because he can make it a fact.

“I can see that you are probably shy. Don’t worry, I’m somewhat of an introvert myself. I can relate.” He lowers his voice as he crouches down till he can almost see his own reflection in the water, “you just need a little insurance. And I can give you just that.”

He draws out his smirk, his fingers lightly flipping on the surface of the water, slicing it open, “show yourself, right this second. Because if I have to compel a bunch of clueless humans to bomb this part of the ocean until all those corpses of fish block your sunlight for all eternity-that is, if you don’t end up one of those corpses-I can and I will.”

He sets out to count to three in his head. He doesn’t even get to two.

“Cut your empty threats.” A melodic voice floats over the water like mists, soft but cold. And together with it emerges its owner’s mysterious figure: half-naked upper body, seashell-decorated breasts, the glint of scales just below the waterline (of course, mermaid-should have guessed).

And a face the beauty of which he didn’t expect.

Skin smooth and pale like polished shells, it almost shines under the moonlight. Shinier is her golden hair, wild curls reaching just down her delicate collar bone, framing her face into an even lovelier shape. But her eyes-they are what takes his breath away.

Seems like _cornflower blue_ is real after all. Perhaps he’s staring at the very reason that deep down there the ocean is so dark-how can it not be, when all the color is sucked into those entrancing sapphires?

He catches himself before the silence stretches for too long-beautiful mermaid or not, he came with a mission, “and how do you know my threat is empty?”

The mermaid mirrors his humorless smile, her knowing eyes and icy voice cutting him to the core, “because I’ve seen enough drowning faces to know what desperation looks like.”

“You are making assumptions, love,” he stands up abruptly to loom over her, clenched fists hidden behind his back like his well-concealed secrets that no stranger mermaid should have access to, “and unfounded ones at that.”

“Oh, am I?” The mermaid swims closer, propping one of her elbows against the white sand, cupping her cheek with her soft hand, not at all intimidated by their positions, “well you just made one about me, someone you have absolutely zero knowledge of. Whereas I know who you are, what you are looking for, and how important it obviously is to you. I’d say my _assumption_ is way more solid than yours.”

Klaus smirks despite the uneasy feeling in his heart, letting her comments about the object he’s after slide for the moment, “I see my reputation precedes me even offshore.”

“Yeah well, the original hybrid breaking his curse is kind of the news of the year around the supernatural community, or whatever it is.” She snorts, “but I have to say, you are not nearly as scary in person.”

“Is that so?” Klaus lifts his eyebrows, half surprised and half amused, “what did you expect then? An ugly beast covered in blood and gore?”

“Not someone seconds from committing suicide to get what he wants. And just for the record?” she tilts her head a little, a lock of her blonde curls falling into her eye and Klaus longs to push it aside, “I wasn’t going to save you if you actually drowned.”

“So you can keep my handsome stony face in you little garden?” Klaus presses a hand to his chest, “how touching.”

“Fairytales don’t suit you, Klaus.” The mermaid’s blue eyes flicker as her face becomes unreadable, “and don’t think for a second that I believe you keep talking to me just because you find me attractive.”

Klaus holds her fiery gaze while crouching down in front of her again, his forefinger softly holding her chin up. Her racing heartbeat is loud in his ears but she doesn’t flinch away from him. He inches closer in an agonizingly slow pace until the tips of their noses are almost touching and her warm breath tastes salty on his tongue, “then how about you tell me about my other intentions, lovely little mermaid?”

She reaches up and snatches his hand away from her chin, her voice startlingly clear in the silence of the dark night, “you need my help. You want me to fetch your coffin from the trench.”

“And would you?” Klaus lowers his eyes briefly to cover the calculating look under his lashes, “help me, I mean?” He watches her face intently, searching for any traces to decipher her true angle in this, but she’s just as unrevealing as the ocean, glowing in the moonlight.

“I’m not considering it until you tell me what’s in there.”

It’s Klaus’ turn to snort this time, “sweetheart, you were not wrong when you stated that I was attracted to you. But what makes you think I would give you that kind of information when you haven’t given me one piece of your own? Not even your name?”

The mermaid rolls her eyes, “you don’t need my name for me to do your bidding. I’m just a little blonde submarine to you anyway. And I only give my name to those I trust.”

“And let me guess, you don’t trust me because I’m the original hybrid. The evil monster, the abomination of nature, the list goes on and on.”

“No,” she draws out her voice like he’s a kid throwing a tantrum, and Klaus is beyond annoyed by that he growls menacingly, but she merely carries on her speech with an equally annoyed expression, “because you threatened my life, and lives of thousands of creatures in this part of the ocean before we even met. Seriously, for someone who’s supposed to be a billion years old you sure are melodramatic. What, you keep a list of all the mean names people have called you? Gr-” She swallows her last two words under his increasingly murderous glare.

Klaus keeps her under his stare for a few more seconds before he finally opens his mouth, “good, you still have some sense of self-preservation. Now, as much as I enjoy our midnight chatting, I’ll have to ask you to do exactly as I say.”

“Or what? You and I both know you are not able to compel a mermaid. And you keep forgetting something.” In the blink of an eye she’s already backed away from the shore, far out of his reach, “this is my turf.” She smirks, “now be grateful that I still haven’t ditched your ass and tell me what’s in that coffin of yours. Then we’ll talk.”

Klaus leaps to his feet and starts pacing in frustration. A part of him wants to jump into the water right this second and strangle her, wiping that bloody little smirk off her perfect face, but the other parts of him, the more rational, level-headed parts are telling him that he has run out of options.

“I’m waiting.” The devil herself sing-songs and Klaus throws up his hands in reluctant defeat.

“Fine. But know this,” he grinds out, wielding his voice like a sword even if he knows he’s losing the battle, “if you ever tell a living soul about this you’ll be worrying about far more pressing matters than the well-being of your fish friends.”

For her credit the mermaid doesn’t show any hint of smugness upon her victory, “I know how to keep a secret.”

Klaus avoids her bright eyes like shadows shying away from the burning sunlight. But those shining orbs follows him in his subconscious, and Klaus finds himself drying out under their innocent heat. He has to reach into his cold, hardened insides and drag out the answers she wanted, scratch them from his bones, rip them from his flesh and extract them from his blood until those few shriveled words are forced out of his throat, but still tastes like ash on his tongue.

“It’s my sister.” He suddenly feels drained, his voice barely above a whisper.

The mermaid covers her mouth, her eyes widening, “oh my god, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize…”

“No, she isn’t dead.” Klaus sighs, “not in the traditional sense at least. We are immortals. We can’t be killed. Let’s just say she’s put into sleep for a certain period of time.”

“Let me guess.” She crosses her arms in front of her chest, “ _you_ put her in that sleep.”

He has to hand it to the girl-she does have a sharp mind. But that doesn’t give her the right to meddle in his family business, or judge him for putting a dagger in Rebekah’s heart. He knows exactly what he did-he sees his sister’s eyes the moment the dagger penetrated her ribcage every night before he falls into sleep or insomnia. The hurt, the accusation, the _surprise_.

After a thousand years, Rebekah still acts so surprised every time he motions to take her life away from her. His sweet little sister. Sometimes he wonders if she knows him too well, or doesn’t know him at all.

Perhaps the latter. Because if she knows only one thing of him, it’s that he never tolerates betrayal.

He grins coldly at the cluelessly self-righteous mermaid, “I have my reasons.”

“I’m sure you do.” Her voice is dripping with contempt, “your kind always does.”

“Think whatever you want,” he tells himself that he doesn’t care, that it won’t make a difference if another one finds a way to blame him for their own misery, even if they have the bluest eyes in the world, “just keep your half of the bargain. Get me that coffin and you can pray that you never see me or _my kind_ in your fleeting life span.”

“I never promised you anything.” She scoffs at him, “I just said that I would consider.”

“I have to say I’m rather disappointed, sweetheart. For a moment there I really took you for the smart type.” Klaus studies her seemingly calm expression, taking immeasurable joy in the notion that it’s about to falter any minute now, “but since we’ve come to this, let me kindly remind you-don’t for a second think that I believe you keep talking to me just because you want a bedtime story.”

Yes, it definitely is worth it to see that beautiful face smeared with panic. Even if just for a few breaths’ time. “Like I said, you just need to keep you half of the bargain.” he grins at her like a Cheshire cat. “Come on, sweetheart. Why don’t you start by telling me your name, and what you want from me in exchange?”

Her lashes tremble a little under his scrutiny, a tell-tale sign of vulnerability, and for a moment there she looks like the child that she really is. But then it’s gone and her eyes meet his with new-found determination, stronger than ever, “I’m Caroline. And I want you to find me a Bennett witch.”

Suspicion grips his heart as it always does when there happens to be too many coincidences aligned. This…Caroline is it? Klaus silently feels her name on the tip of his tongue, testing the curves and drawls that has yet been uttered. This mysterious, stunning creature shows up out of nowhere when he’s looking for the coffin occupied by his daggered sister which has been dumped at the bottom of the ocean, and she’s in need of a Bennett witch, probably _the_ Bennett witch since their bloodline seems to end there, who has just run out on him.

Apparently he needs more pieces of the puzzle, so he goes straight to the only source he has, “what does a sweet girl like you need that for? And why do you think it’s of my concern to find you one?”

Caroline rolls her eyes at him, seemingly unconscious of his alarmed and guarded tone, or she just doesn’t care enough, “I hate to boost your already inflated ego, but yes, your reputation is not lost on us sea residents. And from what I’ve heard, you are perfectly capable of procuring a Bennett line descendent, seeing as you’ve had countless run-ins with the witches, however unpleasant it must have been for them. You want a bargain? Here’s my term. Bennett witch, or no deal.” She cuts him off before he can raise another question, “as for the reason why I’m looking for one…well, why did you put your sister to _sleep_ in the first place?”

“Tread carefully, little mermaid.” He bristles inside, though he paints a tight smile on his face, “what you don’t know of wouldn’t hurt you, now would it?”

Caroline huffs at that, her hair glistening with the slight shake of her head, “I thought we’ve already been through this, but fine, let’s go for the dramatic demonstration.” In that instant she’s gone from his sight, the only thing still shining on his retinal the ghost image of the breath-taking line of her slender neck and breasts when she leant backwards, and the silver twinkles of her tail. Next thing he knew, he was assaulted by a giant wave of sea water. He instinctively jumps back, but not swiftly enough as to dodge a slap in the face by something cold and slippery.

He furiously blinks the burning water out of his eyes, his sight still bleary. But in the blur he hears her laughter, now back to where she was a few moments ago, such a rich, bright, and enchanting sound-like the sound of the thousands of pieces of moonlight bouncing on the ocean surface , that is, if that sound could ever be heard by living (or dead) ears.

“Still think you are all-powerful here?” She’s still laughing, totally pleased with her childish prank, “just a friendly reminder that you are not the only one with supernatural speed here under water. And immortal or not, you can still drown.” On that note her face sobers up a little, “also, I’ll decide what I do or do not need to know. And right now I need to know your intentions with your sister to be sure that I won’t dig her out of that trench for nothing.”

Klaus holds her eyes for a minute and he almost wants to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. This girl hasn’t ever met Rebekah to know the bloodthirsty, manipulative and capricious little devil that she can well be, and yet she’s demanding information from him to ensure her safety. She’s trying to protect his own sister from _him_ -but isn’t that what he, too, has tried countless times to do? To save her from the possible harm he could do to her, even by inflicting pain and heartache preemptively?

He sighs defeated, feeling exhausted all of a sudden, like the hundreds of treks deep into the ocean have finally caught up with him, “all you need to know is that I want my only remaining family back.” His voice is feral from the confession. He can feel the itch of his fangs trying to come out and his eyes has probably flashed golden by the time he finished the sentence.

Such a rare, _human_ thing to say but it’s the beast that bursts from all those raw emotions. And he searches Caroline’s eyes fiercely for something, anything that he can recognize-repulse, fear, or even sympathy.

He finds nothing that he expected.

Shining in her eyes is something akin to understanding, and the words that silently flows from her lips prove that, “my mother died when I was little. The only thing I have of her is a magical seashell with her voice sealed in it. But it was…accidentally broken, and apparently the magic used on it was of Bennett origin.” Caroline bites her lower lip pensively, then looks up at him square in the eyes, “so I guess we have a similar goal.”

It seems a hesitant nod on Klaus’ part is enough to seal the deal, as he finds himself left alone on the shore staring at the ripples that have taken her place in the water with a ton of questions unvoiced, and a somewhat dumbfounded expression on his face.

* * *

Klaus is not a patient man. He knows that, his family know that, people that fall victim to him one way or another know that. Patience is a virtue and he prides himself in being the opposite of all virtues.

But this particular personal trait of his has shaped his conception of time. Where his vampirism has made him immune and nonchalant to the way time flies, his impatience has shown him once and again how it _crawls_ -all over his skin and all through his body, dragging him down with his own dark thoughts and hidden demons.

He’s felt it during the fifty years of the hunter’s curse.

He felt it a few days ago, when he went back to his temporary residence only to find Rebekah’s coffin gone save for a note that read ‘it won’t matter to you anyway whether she’s sleeping here or at the bottom of the ocean’ in its place, and the Bennett witch nowhere to be found.

He’s feeling it now when Caroline has gone down for more than ten minutes and still hasn’t emerged yet. He should have known that she was only exaggerating when she talked about ‘supernatural speed’ under water. Or the little mermaid was just playing him with their supposed deal and for all he knows she’s probably halfway across the ocean by now.

He’s cursing under his breath while taking off the shirt he just put on minutes ago when he hears the distinct thrashing of water. His eyes fly up to meet hers, half blocked by the coffin she’s pushing, “finally. If I didn’t know better I’d think you were stalling just to mess with me.”

“Yeah well you didn’t tell me you were doing a strip tease here. Could use a little incentive.”

Her face is hidden behind the thick wood but he catches a hint of the unmistakable flush on her cheekbones. He’s just about to comment on it when water floods his bare feet as she half throws the coffin onto the shore with a final push and a huff, “in case you haven’t noticed, this coffin is pretty damn heavy.” His eyes are fixed on the coffin, but he can practically hear the eye-roll from her voice, “and here I thought vampires are all skinny little bitches.”

Klaus snorts, “don’t let Rebekah hear you say that, love. She’s not nearly as lenient as I am.” He strokes the side of the coffin absently, his voice dropped to a whisper, “it’s actually the wood. I used a very rare kind of timber with a special scent.” It’s how he has tracked the coffin here.

“You know, I’d be more touched if you were talking about a dress or something. And I’m pretty sure Rebekah feels the same way.”

Her voice feels closer than ever and Klaus catches on that almost immediately. He looks up from the coffin to find her standing just beyond the shoreline, clad in a simple white dress. The sheer fabric clings to her wet body like second skin, accentuating every delicious curve. And those legs, those long, slender, creamy legs…it should be a crime to ever hide them under the magic of a fish tail.

Wait. Legs.

“You can shift at will?” Klaus squints at her puzzled. In his thousand years he’s heard his fair share of rumors about mermaids. Hans Christian Anderson got one thing right-the ability to walk the earth always comes with a price.

Caroline approaches him slowly but steadily in the elegance of someone who’s used to this form of transportation. She eventually stops at his side and nods her head, “yeah, pretty much.” At his puzzled look she shrugs, “my mother was human. I’m kind of a hybrid. Like you.”

He should feel offended at her feather-light tone. Like it’s so easy to be different. Like it’s a stroll in the grass to be the only one of a kind, to stand with each foot in a different circle but allowed entrance to neither, to be torn apart by clashing natures and still feel wanting. It should not be summarized in a mere shrug. It can’t be.

Yet at the same time that tone quenches the flames of fury in his chest before they even burn hot. He’s heard the word ‘hybrid’ uttered from so many mouths, always spit through clenched teeth like dirt, or hushed in the corner of the lips like a disease, but never like this. Like it’s nothing short of…natural.

But Caroline doesn’t seem to notice his look of amazement, “I mean, obviously I’m not as strong. You have those…like, extra heightened senses and strength, right? But the shifting part, I guess that’s the same.”

Klaus’ heart skips a beat at that, and then starts running wild, zealously pumping dead blood into the farthest corner of his body to warm him from years of cold, as if for a moment it forgot that he was the most inhuman creature in this world. He takes a deep breath and reaches up, gently pushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face, “yes, I guess you are right, sweetheart.”

Caroline shudders at his touch, her speech cut short by the unexpected gesture. Her eyes glance down for a second to where his fingers still linger midair, and Klaus can feel the heat radiating from just under his hovering palm.

“So,” her voice comes out a pitch higher, and Klaus, taking in her flushed complexion, retreats his hand with a smirk, “aren’t you going to open it?” She places a hand lightly on the lid of the coffin.

Klaus reaches out to touch the coffin just beside her hand, his movement almost in slow motion in his supernaturally keen eyes. The coffin lies wet and cold in the night air, but it scorches his fingertips like the hottest iron-he can practically smell his burned flesh, withering, shriveling, even if it’s all in his own head, “I can’t even if I wanted to, sweetheart. I had it spelled.”

She glances suspiciously at him and he feels an odd need to elaborate, “only a Bennett witch can open it with the aid of my own blood…” He gives the lid a slight push to demonstrate his point but the weird rustle the wood gives off immediately alarms him, “or the blood of one of my siblings.”

He trails off as he realizes his glaring miscalculation. He’s built in the blood part of the spell as a failsafe. But he should have known that blood magic is always tricky with unexpected loopholes and what bigger loophole than being tricked by his own blood. He pushes the lid fully open with his full force, the loud thud of the lidding hitting the ground muffled by his own enraged growl. Caroline jumps back startled at his outburst but he barely registers her, his eyes glued to the empty inside of the coffin.

They’ve ganged up on him. Played him like a fool.

That insolent Bennett girl…and his own sister.

He lets out a lupine bellow, throwing the coffin over and watches as it shatters into pieces of broken timber and crushed splinters. They can all do damage to his body, not fatal, but still hurtful-more than any sort of metal or poison that humans conjure up their ridiculous weapons with; but not more than betrayal. Never more than betrayal.

A voice cuts through the blood red mist of fury blinding all his senses, but it still sounds so far away, and it takes Klaus several seconds before he understands her simple questions, “what’s wrong? Where’s your sister?”

The humorless sound of laughter cuts through his throat, “I think it’s quite obvious, love. My dear sister, it would seem, has orchestrated her own _escape_.” He grinds out the last word like biting flesh, tearing it out and severing it apart from the useless host body, leaving a gaping hole filled with unstoppable blood, “she left me a note. A bloody note to let me believe she’s been kidnapped, when she clearly thinks I’m the kidnapper all along,” his lips curl into a painful sneer, “the biggest and baddest of them all.”

“You mean this was all a ruse? And your sister’s run away of her own free will?”

He spins around to bark into her face, “that’s what I’ve been saying, yes! Are you deaf?”

She balls up her fists and glares at him, “I know you are angry and all but I’ve given you no reason to treat me with rudeness. And seriously, can you really blame your sister? You put her into a nonconsensual coma! What are you, the evil queen? I’ve told you once and I’ll tell you again-these fairytale plots really don’t suit you, Klaus! Hell it’s the 21st century, they don’t suit anyone!”

Klaus clenches his teeth so hard his temples are throbbing with white hot fury. How dare she speak to him like this? This little mermaid girl, he can break her like a twig-how dare she judge his behavior with her tongue so sharp and eyes so defiant? But he swallows his temper like he downs vervain, sweet and burning and coldly vengeful, and he bares his teeth in a lopsided grin, “well maybe you’ve got one thing right, sweetheart. No more fairytales indeed.” His eyes flicker deadly and he sees Caroline shudder, “certainly no happily-ever-after for my little sister.”

He’s been after the doppelganger for five hundred years. He could spend an eternity on Rebekah if he has to. Immortality is their greatest weapon and downfall.

Caroline parts her lips like she’s about to say something, but bites it in despite herself. She doesn’t have to say it out loud though, he can see it all in her simmering eyes and guarded demeanor-that he’s sick and disgusting, and that no one should bear the sentence of a life beside him.

When she does open her mouth she sounds oddly calm and collected, “whatever you do or not do, it’s your choice. At the end of the day it’s you that have to live with the consequences anyway.” She ignores the hard tick of his jaw at that and crosses her arms in front of her chest, suddenly all business-like, “but first things first. When are you going to get me the Bennett witch?”

Klaus is still silently fuming about her backhanded comment so he throws her a sadistic smirk, “not so fast, love. Your part of the deal isn’t done yet.”

Caroline throws her hands in the air in frustration, “what? No way! You asked for the coffin and I got you the coffin! It’s not my fault that it’s empty.”

“Well, you want the Bennett witch and it’d be my pleasure to introduce you to her. It’s not my fault that she’s probably with my sister, who I have every intention to find.”

“Seriously? You’re going with _that_?” she shrills incredulously, “god you are a childish, infuriating, manipulative, deceiving, shameless bastard!” With each accusing word she stomps closer to him until she’s right in his face, the tip of her exquisitely pointy nose almost touching his, “you knew your witch had gone missing right from the start and you tricked me! At least you got to know your sister’s safe and sound, probably sunbathing on some other beach where she won’t see your sorry ass, while I gained literally nothing from this farce of a bargain.”

“Then I guess you’ll just have to come with me.” The words are out of his mouth before he knows and both of them widen their eyes in surprise. But Klaus contains it well and licks his lips in well-tested seduction, “we’ll find my sister, and of course, the witch. It’ll be fun.” He secretly bites his tongue because the last sentence rings too eager and foolish in his own ears, like something from the mouth of a high school student or some middle-aged simpleton without a life of their own.

And just like he expected, Caroline laughs indignantly in his face, but for different reasons, “are you out of your mind? What, I’m just supposed to blindly follow you into another one of your traps?” She huffs, gesturing wildly at the undulating waves behind them, “in case you didn’t notice I have a life here!”

“A life of what exactly?” Klaus squints at her, a smirk half mocking and half curious hangs at the corner of his lips, “collecting seashells? Chasing dolphins? Singing passing ships to doom?”

Anger flashes past her face and her eyes turn to a deeper shade of stormy blue-for that alone Klaus might consider riling her up some more just to memorize the striking color, “there’s nothing wrong with good decoration and dolphins are extremely intelligent and friendly creatures! Hell they’re certainly more humanly than you are. And don’t you ever compare us to sirens! If you want to brag about your knowledge at least get the facts straight-god why am I still talking to you!”

She storms off with a roll of her eyes but Klaus catches her wrist before she’s out of reach, “wait.”

Caroline slowly turns around but says nothing, her lips pursed into a skeptical line. Klaus releases her hand, not without brushing the tender inside for a split second with his thumb first, “think of it as a trip, if you will.” He dips his head somewhat bashfully and when he looks back up he has a boyish smile on his face, but the way he calls her name is so sinful the air between them buzzes with those syllables rolling off of his tongue, “I can show you the world, Caroline.”

He expects surprise tinged with excitement. He’s offered a lot of things to women through the years, though not quite like the one he just presented to Caroline-jewelry, power, a night of abandon, his transient affection, or even vampirism-and no matter how well hidden, he always recognizes an adventurous heart when he sees one.

But he has slowly come to know that Caroline never plays into his expectations. She’s actually trembling in fury, so angered her skin flushes pink, “why is everything a trade to you? I didn’t fall for your stupid new deal so now you want to _buy_ me? Is this how you built your precious reputation, oh mighty king of the supernatural world?” She snorts derisively, her words cutting him to the weakest points like the most skillful sword fighter.

Her anger only seems to spur his own, “you were the one lurking in the background just waiting for a chance to take advantage of my predicament. So don’t pretend that you are the innocent party in this or lecture me about my way of getting things done. I’ve had enough sanctimonious rubbish spurt in my face through my life and I can assure you I never take them lying down, never!” He forces the last words out in a snarl, his fangs uncontrollably filling his mouth, slicing open the inner side of his lips and he tastes his own blood, bitter and foul.

Caroline is silent after his outburst, but she doesn’t walk away, just studying him with a slight furrow in her brows, a thousand thoughts brimming her eyes. Somehow it feels worse than if she turned her back on him. Klaus draws out the silence, bracing himself under her scrutiny-he may be intrigued by her, even likes her to some extent, but he isn’t going to back down.

Eventually it’s Caroline who breaks the silence, her tone surprisingly lack of her previous animosity, “you are right. I did want certain things from you and I held my abilities as a bargain chip. And maybe you are justified in your actions as you perceive it but I’m sorry, Klaus,” she shakes her head infinitesimally, the ends of her blonde curls brushing her collarbone, “there are dangers that I won’t surround myself with, you and your world being one of them.”

Klaus sucks in a breath. She can’t be clearer about her feelings than that and he feels like a mere human clawing at straws, but he has to try, “you are just going to give up like that? Come on, Caroline. You and me, we both want our families back, in one form or another.”

He’s seducing her, or rather blackmailing her with the one thing that she doesn’t have any defense over. And from the squint of her eyes and the piercing look that she’s giving him, Caroline knows exactly what he’s doing, “that may be so. But the different between us, Klaus, is that I didn't break the memory of my mom. You broke yours with your sister.”

“Then help me fix it.”

“What?” She’s taken aback, probably expecting him to lash out at her harsh words. She’s not the only one.

“Help me find my sister. And then maybe…maybe some new memories can be built over the ruins.” For the first time in centuries, Klaus can’t predict the effect of his own words, because he has no control over his voice, the flow of the words, the punctuation, his accent-they are all a jumbled mess, slipping away before he knows and hanging awkwardly in the air. He doesn’t know if he sounds sincere or a downright charlatan. What he said wasn’t a lie, but he doesn’t believe in it either.

Caroline seems to see through his uncertainty though, and her eyes soften, her lips curling imperceptibly. It’s wary and tentative, but it’s still a smile. And then she gives a tiny nod and Klaus’ heart soars, “okay. I’ll help you, since you asked _kind of_ nicely.” She suddenly pokes a finger at his chest, her tone now fierce, “but I want your word upfront that when we are done, you'll get me that Bennett witch immediately whatever the cost.”

Klaus tries so hard to keep his face solemn but still earns a glare from Caroline, “you have my word.”

“And the second you try any funny business I’m gone. 70% of the earth is covered in water, so I wouldn’t bet on your chances of finding me.”

Now he really can’t rein in his laughter, “wouldn’t dream of it, love.”

“Well, now that our deal is renewed.” Caroline clasps her hands, looking a little sheepish, “if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go back down there real quick to grab my things for the trip.”

Klaus furrows his brows. Although Caroline agreed on his terms, he doesn’t feel too comfortable letting her out of his sight, “I’m sure whatever you need we can get on the road, sweetheart.”

Caroline sighs, “look, I don’t know what will happen during this quest of your sister and since you said your witch was probably with her, I thought I’d take the seashell with me just in case. It’s no big deal, really.”

“How do I know you won’t just jump in there and never come back up?” Klaus tilts his head a little, taking in every slight twist in her expression, “as you so eloquently put this is after all, your ‘turf’.”

Caroline grins at him, her eyes meeting him directly boring into his with such challenge and mischief, “well then I guess you’ll just have to trust me.”

And with that she steps into the sea without a second glance at him, the tip of her glorious tail disappearing under water just when the morning sun jumps out, painting the whole ocean with burning colors and blinding light.

* * *

Caroline’s head can’t stop spinning. Fresh out of sea, she was whooshed to an airport at the crack of dawn and packed onto a private jet for the first time in her life, not that she had ever been on any planes before-and, oh, did she mention how she was transported to the airport? She was _whooshed_. Literally _whooshed_.

She squealed for a good fifteen seconds when Klaus started moving them in his vampire speed. The bastard laughed without even slowing down, his rich laughter blowing in the wind, probably just a ghost sound in the ears of the barely recognizable passers-by. He did have a nice laugh, she’ll give him that.

The plane ride passed like a blur. She sat on every seat and bounced on the bed. She checked the bathroom. She played with all the gadgets prepared for the passengers and drank some champagne. She chatted with the pretty stewardess and was even invited to the cockpit for a short tour. She looked out of the windows _a lot_. The whole time Klaus just watched her with an amused look on his face, occasionally commenting on her interest of the moment, but Caroline was too excited to pay him much attention.

Caroline didn’t know they’d come to Chicago until they landed. After that it was cab-hotel-cab (thank god no whooshing this time), Klaus guiding her without revealing much and her just following, trying to take it all in. It was all a little overwhelming to tell the truth.

And now she’s standing in one of those high-end boutiques with racks and racks of clothes around her, and a really annoying salesgirl on her heels.

“We have the best night gowns in town.” The salesgirl, Amy, says in a voice too saccharine for her liking, “what’s the occasion exactly?”

Caroline doesn’t answer, partly because she doesn’t feel like interacting with Amy if not necessary, partly because Klaus hasn’t filled her in on anything. He led her straight here, dropping some vague half-answers about there being a ball the next night and how she needed to dress accordingly. It infuriates her to no end not knowing anything, but Klaus can be so tight-lipped when he wants to be.

However Amy’s question wasn’t addressed to her at all. Caroline looked up to see her eyes focused on Klaus, who’s lounging on a red sofa with his feet propped up on the coffee table in front of him. She rolls her eyes. He always acts like he owns the place, taking up as much room as possible if not with his physical presence, then with his overbearing attitude.

She feels slightly better when his eyes go right over Amy, landing on her face, his dimples flashing briefly, “just know this, sweetheart. Everyone worth meeting in this city will be there, and I want you to outshine them all.”

Caroline blushes at that, her skin tingling just from the lilt of his words. It’s crazy really-he’s halfway across the room but she feels like he’s crooning against her earlobe, which is now burning up as if spelled.

Unfortunately Amy’s voice jumps right in to break the moment, “oh so it’s quite formal then. Well apparently we have a lot of work to do, but I assure you we’ll find just the things you need.” She looks her up and down, “it’ll be like a make-over! You’ll look like a princess when you walk out of here.”

Caroline bites her lips upon hearing her not-so-subtle hint about her appearance. She’s changed out of her wrinkled white dress into T-shirts and shorts during their short stay at the hotel room. She kept it simple because she didn’t exactly know what Klaus’ plans were for the day. But Caroline hasn’t been one to let people walk all over her, even with their faux-professional critiques and fake smiles.

She puts extra sweetness into her crisp voice to make sure it cuts, “oh, I don’t know about that. Don’t want my pretty new dress to go ‘poof’ after midnight. Good thing you don’t have glass shoes here, though given how tacky everything seems to be I wouldn’t be surprised if there actually are.”

She hears Klaus’ low laughter in the background, and in the corner of her eyes she sees Amy shooting daggers at her when she thinks she isn’t looking. Both makes her feel exceedingly good about herself.

Her joy is short-lived, that’s for sure. Amy keeps pointing her to dresses that are either too revealing or too flashy, with intimidating texture like heavy satin or layered embroidery that she knows will clash with her natural style. And the color choices, urgh. What is she, forty?

And Klaus isn’t helping things much either. He just sits there with a mysterious smirk plastered on his face, like a less stuck-up but far more diabolical version of Mona Lisa. He doesn’t always looks at them, playing away at his phone, but Caroline can swear he hears every word they are saying, because whenever she mutters another passive-aggressive or just plain aggressive come-back under her breath she catches the corner of his delicious (did she think delicious?) lips go that much higher.

When Amy drags out yet another black-silver dress Caroline’s had about enough. She snatches the poor choice from her arms and goes straight into the fitting room. If her words of rejection can’t seem to make the girl see her point she’ll just have to show it to her. The few minutes of respite away from Amy’s nagging is just a bonus.

The dress is hideous like she predicted. The low-cut neckline stretching to her midriff doesn’t flatter her breasts, instead it just makes her look too eager to please. And the lower half of the dress is even more of a disaster. The ball-gown style skirt is made from shiny silver satin. Caroline can almost see her own reflection from the puffy material, and she does _not_ want to see that right now, not in this pathetic excuse of a dress.

Caroline pushes the door open and storms out. Seeing as she’s got the attention of Amy and Klaus she twirls around dramatically and then puts her hands on her hip, her voice dripping sarcasm, “well how do I look?”

Amy turns on her fake smile into full power, “very nice, Miss.” She hesitates on purpose and Caroline can just see the evil glint in the corner of her eyes, “of course the dress is designed for someone…curvier, but I think the color scheme suits you quite well. I can fetch you something in the same selection that is a little more…modest.”

Did she just insult her to her face?

Caroline openly glares at her this time but bites her tongue. She’ll deal with Amy later. There’s one more person whose reaction she would like to see and that person is now sauntering towards her, the casual yet sexy sway of his hips almost distracting Caroline from her bad mood.

Focus. She’s fuming after all.

Klaus stops just in front of her, eyes roaming all over her. Caroline crosses her arms in front of her chest when he lingers there a little too long and prompts with a scowl, “well?”

“You look…stunning, sweetheart.” He licks his lips in a straight face, but his eyes are full of mirth.

“Yeah people will be stunned all right.” Caroline rolls her eyes, not at all amused with his amusement over this whole situation, “I look like a horny tin-woman.”

“Again with the fairytale reference, love?” He’s straining so hard not to laugh Caroline’s actually afraid his face’s going to burst at the seams any minute now, “and I thought you didn’t like stories as old as time, little fish.” His voice drops to whisper, sending shivers down her spine-and her over-exposed cleavage. How can he instantly go from puckish playful to steaming seductive?

Caroline shakes off the lingering effect of his voice and reaches a hand up to his collar bone. She traces his skin along his many necklaces, the touch of her fingertips light as feather, “never mind. If I actually take this dress we’ll be sure to find you a matching tie. It’ll be so shiny people are going to suspect you lick it every time they aren’t watching, wolf-boy.” She’s whispering too now, her lips so close to his stubbled jaw line.

She feels rather than hears his sharp intake of breath, and she revels in a second of triumph. But then his hands are hovering over her waist, his fingers barely brushing the fabric of her dress and her skin burns under the heat they’re radiating. She looks up into his intense blue eyes, and she doesn’t know if she should feel disappointed or relieved that they are so stormy she can’t see her own reflected in there. Yet deep down she knows they are just as turbulent, if not more.

The moment she finds her eyes dropping to his luscious lips, Caroline pushes herself out of his arms, “lucky for you I’m deciding against it.” She retreats into the fitting room as fast as she could, flushed and panicked. She looks up into the mirror, not recognizing the girl with red cheeks and heaving chest in there. And yep-her eyes are swirling with so many emotions she doesn’t dare to look at them anymore. But when she closes them she sees another pair of blue eyes that are equally disconcerting.

When Caroline finally calms down enough to come out, Klaus is back to his previous seat, seemingly absorbed in his phone. She nixes anything close in style to the dress she just tried on and tunes out Amy’s other recommendations, just wandering around in the store, not looking for anything in particular-in fact dresses are probably the least of her concerns right now.

But just then she turns a corner and there it is-the perfect dress staring right back at her.

It’s a long-sleeved lace gown in a light blue-grey tone. The neckline is high, but the see-through design can make sure that her collar bones are properly shown. Intricate lace patterns cling to the form till mid-thigh, where the skirt flairs out into flowy layers of chiffon in a lighter grey. Tiny pearls decorate the lower half of the skirt, shimmering subtly in the light, reminding her of the foams floating in the ocean waves.

Caroline gently touches the dress. It’s soft as she thought. This is _the_ dress, she can tell.

She’s about to take the dress off the rack when Amy hurries over, “oh, you don’t want to go with that. Lace is too last-season and the style, well…it’s a bit hard to manage for most people.”

Caroline huffs a laugh, her anger getting more and more difficult to contain, “huh, is that so?”

“You can try this one on.” Amy pushes a generic cream-colored dress into her arms, “it’s elegant and chic, a head-turner for sure. Of course we’d have to find you the right shoes and style up your hair a bit, to suit the dress.”

“Of course.” Caroline squeezes the words out through the clench of her teeth. She glances at Klaus over Amy’s shoulder. He’s still busy with whatever he’s been doing for the past hour, unaffected by the swiftly rising tension in this corner of the store.

“Is there a problem, Miss?”

Ok now Amy’s just pushing her for no reason. _Is there a problem_? Let’s see-she’s god knows how many miles from home in a new city, alone with a stranger she has known for no more than half a day, who, by the way, is also the most powerful creature on earth according to himself. She’s been through plane rides and car rides and hotel check-in during this short time span and she’s expecting a major event as early as tomorrow. She’s stressed out from all the exhaustion and excitement and pressure and sexual tension between her and the aforementioned dangerous demon incarnation, and yet she’s stuck in this ridiculous store looking for a dress she needs in less than 24 hours with the most annoying salesgirl she’s ever seen.

And the girl is _still talking_ , “I know you are probably new at this, Miss, but you can trust me. Your boyfriend clearly wants you to impress the crowd and not to brag, but I have enough experience in the business to help you fulfill that request.”

That’s it. She’s done.

Caroline shoves the dress back to Amy and marches to the door, “take your elegant, chic dress. I don’t need it. And I certainly don’t need rude salesgirls with an attitude bossing me around telling me what _I_ want. I have someone for that. Me!” She whirls around with one foot out the door, pointing at Klaus who is just sensing the ongoing crisis, “and he’s NOT my boyfriend!”

She’s across the street when she hears Klaus calling her name, accompanied by quite a few jarring horns of cars. She doesn’t look back. Isn’t he immortal or something? If she actually gave a damn she’d be more worried about the cars anyway.

“Caroline.” This time his voice is right beside her but she doesn’t spare him a glance, nor does she slow down her steps in her aimless trek.

“Don’t be like that, love.” He bends down a little to breathe into her ear, his tone coaxing, “she’s not worth it.”

“Then it’s a good thing my anger isn’t directed at her.” Well, not entirely.

She can hear his smirk even if she’s not looking, “so you think I’m worth it.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” She rolls her eyes, unable to stop a little smile creeping up her lips, “and don’t change the subject. You said you were taking me shopping and you threw me into that lion’s den! Do you know how insufferable that girl is?”

Klaus chuckles and the sound goes straight to her belly, igniting a whole different fire inside her, “I’m aware. My sister Rebekah used to whine about her incompetence all the time when we last stayed here. But the quality of their dresses are above par apparently so she tolerated her.”

“She compelled her, didn’t she?” Caroline snorts, “I hate to admit it but vampire tricks do come in handy sometimes. Wait, you knew she was like that? And you still brought me there without a warning? You suck!”

To his credit Klaus actually looks sheepish, his eyes peeking at her from under his lashes, “I presumed you could hold your own. And you did.”

She shouldn’t be affected by the appreciation in his voice, but she can’t help it. She can still pout a little though, “whatever you say I’m not going back in there. I don’t care if I have to go to your mysterious ball naked.”

“As much as I would like to witness that,” Klaus gives her a dry look, “I’m willing to escort you to any establishment that you deem acceptable to make up for this dreadful experience.”

“Really? Anywhere?” Caroline perks up at that.

Klaus shrugs with a little adorable smile dancing at the corner of his eyes, “well, preferably within the city boundaries. But if you insist on going somewhere not too far out of town it can be arranged.”

“Oh no need to worry about that.” Caroline waves him off with a devilish smirk, pointing to the building a few hundred yards from them, “I want to go there.” She can’t wait to see the look on his face.

Klaus doesn’t disappoint. His eyebrows shoot right up to his hairline and his eyes widen to the extent you only ever see on a comic book character. It’s hilarious.

“You want to shop at the _mall_?”

“You did say anywhere.” She retorts innocently, too happy to notice that her arm winds up around his while she drags a horrified and reluctant Klaus down the road.

And shop at the mall they do. Caroline is having a blast, not just because she’s actually having fun perusing the goods but because the look on Klaus’ face. His countenance does _not_ go well with the décor of Forever 21. It’s a pity she can’t take a picture of his twisted expression when he’s drowned in shopping-mode teenage girls. One of them even barks in his face, “hey, get out of the way, dude!” It’s a real feat that she manages to drag a seething Klaus away while laughing so hard.

He’s more than accommodating though. Caroline can tell how uncomfortable and annoyed he feels, but when she’s trying on a pretty sundress with little dolphins printed on it he smiles light-heartedly at the inside joke, and when asked he always gives an honest opinion. Caroline thinks it’s quite gentlemanly and decides to cut him some slack.

“I’m going to take a look at the accessories section. But I saw a cart selling ice-cream cones when we came in here so…will you wait for me outside?” She laughs at his I’m-trying-not-to-look-too-eager nod and turns away, throwing one last word over her shoulder, “strawberry!”

It turns out Klaus with an ice-cream cone in his hand is as funny a scene as any. Especially when that cone is pink. He’s sitting on a bench waiting for her, so she drops down next to him with a contented sigh, taking the ice-cream cone he hands over.

“No purchases?” Klaus lifts his eyebrows. He’s left his credit card with her.

Caroline gives the ice-cream a long lick and hums. It’s not every day she gets one of these back home. “I had enough fun. Shopping is so much more than just buying things, a concept I don’t think you can grasp any time soon.”

Klaus doesn’t reply right away, which is odd because he always have a smart comeback to make sure he ‘wins’ the conversation. He’s such a child sometimes.

Caroline looks up in between licks to find him staring at her, his lips slightly parted. The look in his eyes makes her skin buzz with unknown heat and excitement, the pace of her heartbeats more and more frantic as her own eyes glue to his. She feels hypnotized, and for a moment she thinks of the possibility that he’s somehow compelling her against nature’s rules, but the anticipation bursting from every one of her cells tells her otherwise.

She’d feel numb if she’s compelled, paralyzed, like a puppet. But instead she’s never felt so alive. The blue of his eyes draws her in like the call of the ocean, and she just wants to dive in without a second thought, closer and closer and closer…

Something cold suddenly drops on her hand, startling her out of the trance, and Caroline looks down, breaking their eye contact. She hears Klaus mumbling something about a phone call, then feels him standing up, walking several steps away from her.

The ice-cream’s melting-that’s what dropped on her hand. She hurries to stuff the cold, silky sweetness into her mouth, the fresh scent of strawberry filling her system, blending with his distinct scent of cologne that she didn’t notice inhaling.

She wonders if the burning heat surging through her body seconds ago was what caused the ice-cream to melt so quickly.

* * *

He doesn’t see her immediately when he enters their penthouse suite. Pushing down the momentary panic and suspicion, Klaus focuses on the sounds around him and catches Caroline’s soft humming from deep inside.

He finds her lounging in the little swimming pool on the balcony in a tank top, her bluish silver tail swaying idly in the water. The image makes him smile-Caroline is, and probably will be the only mermaid he sees in a tank top. “I see you’ve found the best feature of this suite.” He walks over to sit beside where she rests her head on the edge of the pool.

She opens her eyes and grins so brightly up at him, “I guess I have you to thank for this.”

Klaus tilts his head a little, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden, “well, I thought it’d be nice to stretch your tail after a long day.”

Caroline laughs, turning around so she’s facing the outside of the balcony, her arms propped on the edge of the pool, “either you are a natural flirt with many, many years of experience with many, many women,” she makes a face at that, “or you are actually a big softie deep inside. Which one is it?”

The color of the clear pool water brings out her eyes and the city lights glow in them. Klaus smiles somewhat absently, his heart uneasy. He can’t remember if anyone’s looked at him that way. Teasing, humorous, yet with so much wonder and, dare he say, trust. Did Rebekah once look at him like this? Did any of those women he encountered in his thousand years? He tucks a stray curl slipping from her loose bun behind her ear, “better leave that mystery for you to discover, sweetheart.”

Caroline smirks knowingly, “you’re just afraid you won’t like what I find out.”

Klaus hums noncommittally as a response, ready to escape this line of converse. He pushes a shopping bag in front of her, “I believe you are still a ball gown short.” He gestures for her to open it, “a mermaid dress for a mermaid. It’s only fitting.”

Caroline sticks her head into the bag for a second, then lifts an eyebrow at him, “so that’s what you went out for.” Klaus dropped Caroline back at the hotel after a quick dinner and was off alone, claiming he had to “fix something”, “what happened to Amy?”

“Amy who?”

Caroline gives him a dry look, “don’t play dumb.”

Klaus concedes with a nonchalant smile, “she’s alive, if that’s what you are asking.” She’ll be weak for a few days from the loss of blood and never able to treat her customers inappropriately ever again under his compulsion, but other than that she’s perfectly fine.

“I said vampire tricks could come in handy sometimes.” Caroline snorts, pushing the bag out of the way, “thank you for the dress though. It was love at first sight.” Her eyes meet his and her breath hitches, realizing what she just said.

“You do have very good taste.” Klaus keeps her eyes a little longer until she breaks away with flushed cheeks.

She looks at the shining lights around and below them before she speaks again, her voice quiet, “I’ve never seen this kind of view before. It’s very beautiful.”

He follows her eyes to a night time Chicago ignited by thousands of electric lights, trying to tune out his own memories from different time periods to look at it through her fresh eyes, like seeing it for the first time. It does look splendid. “I should take you to Paris. There’s nowhere in the world like Paris at night.”

“The city of love? Really?” Caroline giggles, shaking her head, “that’s a little cliché even for you.”

“Clichés are cliché for a reason.” Klaus counters, “and clichés might not be so cliché if you know where to look.”

“Are you saying things in riddles just to impress people?” Caroline taps her index finger on the tile, “or it’s just a habit since you’re from centuries ago when everyone talked like that?”

Klaus smirks, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes, “You seem to have a lot of questions about me, love.”

“I do.”

Klaus considers for a while. The weather’s mellow and he’s in a fairly good mood. He’ll just indulge her curiosity for a bit, satisfying his own in the process. “You have three chances. Pick your questions wisely.”

“And you promise to answer them honestly?” Caroline is fully facing him now, the tip of her tail involuntarily sending ripples to the surface of the water in anticipation.

“I promise to give you an answer. Whether it’s the truth or not you’ll just have to decide for yourself.” He turns around to catch her nod with a challenging look on her face. Klaus grins inwardly-he always likes a good deal.

“When did you last get in touch with your Bennett witch?”

“Personally it was when I ordered her to seal my sister’s coffin, shortly after she completed the ritual to break my curse under my request. But I suspect it was her who left me the note telling me my sister was dumped into the ocean, so technically that was the last time we got in touch.”

“What are we doing at the ball tomorrow night?”

“One of the witches in town-Gloria is her name-was close to my sister when we were here in the 20s. I need you to find out if she knows anything about Rebekah’s whereabouts.”

“Why did you put your sister in a coffin?”

Klaus pauses. He glares at Caroline hard in the eyes, but she isn’t backing down. He inhales deeply before opening his mouth, his tone turning stone cold, “to break my curse and free my wolf side I needed to drain the blood of a doppelganger, in this case, a girl named Elena-I’d been searching for her for the last five hundred years. But the witch who cursed me built in a fail-safe. Without her human blood I cannot make other wolves into hybrids like myself.”

He looks briefly at her. She’s a natural-born hybrid, just like him-no, not like him. He was forced into an anomaly by his own parents.

“We accidentally found out about the fail-safe in one of the witch’s grimoires. I even found a way to drain the doppelganger without killing her.” Klaus clenches his jaw, the acidity of betrayal fresh on his heart, “but Rebekah gave Elena her own blood just before the ritual, thus turning her into a vampire. She fled.”

To this day he doesn’t know the exact reason why Rebekah went behind his back, when she’d been helping him close at his side for the last thousand years-he was too consumed with rage to listen to her explanations before he daggered her. Elena must have got through to her somehow with her cheap words, just like the last doppelganger did with his now estranged brother-they always had a way with manipulating people.

Caroline’s voice brings him out of his vicious thoughts on how he would torture the two running doppelgangers once he gets his hands on them, “you do know what you did was wrong, right?”

“Which part?” Klaus shrugs, not exactly liking where she’s going. He doesn’t need her judgment, along with everyone else’s.

Caroline grimaces, “um, like, which part wasn’t? From what I gathered, you forced the witch to do your bidding with whatever threat you threw out; you killed an innocent for personal gain in a way I’m sure wasn’t pleasant or peaceful; you were going to continue to use said innocent, possibly for the rest of her life; and you took your own sister’s life-temporarily, but still-when she helped her. And that’s just the brief version.”

Klaus keeps his face closed, a taunting smile forming slowly, “brilliant, you’ve read the charges. What’s the verdict then?”

“I’m not the judge, Klaus.” Caroline pushes a few stray curls out of her eyes, her voice rising, “and you don’t get to put yourself on the defense. Your actions ruined people’s lives. The least you could do is admit to it, and try to do better next time.”

“There won’t be a next time.” Klaus clenches his fists, “I will never let myself be weakened and parted from my true nature ever again! And if anyone gets in my way, they are going to rue the day they were born. I will make sure of it.”

Caroline throws her arms in the air, her eyes widening incredulously, “you keep saying you are the most powerful creature on earth, blablabla, and yet you drive yourself crazy assuming everyone’s out to get you. Well news flash, Klaus, they aren’t! They are busy living their own lives until you insert yourself into their paths and make enemies out of them!”

“Careful, love.” Klaus catches her wrist in a vice grip, leaning into her menacingly, “were you referring to yourself there? You’d do well to remember I don’t treat my enemies with mercy.”

Caroline instinctively flinches under his stare, struggling to break free from his hold. When she can’t manage to do that, however, she huffs, pushing her hand that he’s holding in his face, “you see what I mean? I was just talking, generally. I wasn’t referring or implying anything! God you are frustrating. You were under one curse! Which you’ve already broken! Why are you being like this?”

“You don’t know what it’s like to go through that curse! To constantly live in pain and shame, to feel a part of yourself was missing, to know you would never live up to your potential that you were born with.” Klaus drops her hand, his chest heaving, “you don’t’ know anything.”

“What if I do?” Caroline rubs her wrist where a slight bruise is showing, not looking at him. Klaus closes his eyes at the scene-again his hot temper got to him.

“What do you mean?”

Caroline takes in a deep breath before answering, her voice strained and quiet, “my dad tried to bind my human side once. He almost succeeded.”

Klaus bites his lips hard. He didn’t expect that. Caroline seems like someone who’s never been tainted from the darker sides of the world. “How did that happen?”

“It was kind of ridiculous in retrospect.” Caroline shakes her head, letting out a laugh without much humor. Klaus notices her tail curling in on herself-must be a sign of distress, he files that information in his head.

“I met this boy, Tyler. Don’t.” She gives him a look before he can say anything, “anyway he persuaded me to elope with him. Said he’s tired of always hanging out around the beach. My dad was beyond furious. He asked the shaman to get rid of my human side so I could never walk on land again. It was so painful.” She shudders from the terrible memory, and Klaus can’t help gently squeezing her shoulder. He knows exactly how that feels.

“I was struggling so hard my tail accidentally swept that seashell with my mom’s voice in it. It broke, and I guess my dad was shaken out of his haze or something. The ritual was stopped. But for a moment there I really thought I was going to lose that part of myself forever and it was awful.”

Klaus doesn’t dwell on that. He’s had enough reenacting of his fateful day for one night. Instead he prompts her to go on with the story, “what happened then?”

Caroline smiles wryly, “I talked to my dad and we made up. I talked to Tyler and broke up with him. I’ve been living on my own since.” Klaus nods silently. He of all people should know that some wounds can never be healed fully. Or does he? What about the daggers he put through his siblings’ hearts? They are vampires. They don’t scar. But the hurt, does it ever really go away?

As if reading his thoughts, Caroline explains, “what hurt the most was that they both tried to take the choices away from me. _My_ choices.” She finally looks up at him, her eyes sharp yet understanding-how can that be? How can a blade ameliorate a wound? “Like you did with your witch, and Elena, and your sister. Like whoever it was did with you.”

Klaus sucks in a breath, his heart contorting in emotions he can’t recognize, “it’s not that simple.”

“Maybe it’s not.” Caroline nods to his surprise, but her eyes are still penetrating, “or maybe you chose for it not to be. Which one is it, Klaus?”

“I’m afraid you’ve used up all your questions, love.” His eyes glint as a smile softens the lines around them.

Caroline has the similar gleam to her eyes, “really? I’ve lost track.” She turns her head, once again facing the city lit up by lights, a mirage extending for miles, warmed up by the false promises of returning and belonging.

“It’s kind of like deep in the ocean if you look long enough.” Caroline folds her arms on the tiles and lies her face on the back of her hand, dreamy and wondering like a child, “all the darkness and the twinkling lights breaking through. When I was young I used to ask my dad why those fish were glowing-a lot of them can’t even see, you know? I asked him if they were afraid of the dark.”

She giggles and it’s the most beautiful thing Klaus’ ever heard. All the lights out there and this is what brightens his heart. He hums with her words, finding himself fascinated with her words and her little smile.

“Turns out they were luring-preys, mates, codependent living partners, whatever helped them survive in the nothingness. But I think they are just lonely.”

Klaus stares at her, something pinching at his heart. Sweet and sour, it stings and it swells. “And which one are you, Caroline?” Lonely, or afraid of the dark?

She turns back to him, a thousand thoughts mixing with a thousand lights in her blue orbs, “I don’t remember giving you free questions.”

Klaus leans closer towards her gaze, letting her scent fill his senses, permeate his being, “really? I’ve lost track. Must be late then.” He inches closer still, till his scorching lips are pressed to her forehead, “goodnight Caroline.”

And he’s gone in a flash, as quietly as he came.

* * *

“Do your feet hurt?” Klaus watches her fidgeting, a teasing smile on his face, his dimples in full presence.

Damn his dimples. Caroline is on edge as it is, she doesn’t need the unnecessary distraction. “No more than other girls with their feet in four-inch heels.” She hisses under her breath, “and enough with the little mermaid jokes already! It was a sad story that you shouldn’t be making fun of in the first place. And I’m just nervous.”

“There’s no need to be, love.” Klaus soothes her, although she can still hear the amusement in his low voice. He takes two champagnes from a waiter passing by and hands one to her, “here, to calm your nerves. Just remember what we rehearsed: approach her, make small talk, casually mention you are an acquaintance of Rebekah’s, ask her if she’s seen her, and when she denies which she most certainly will, leave her. You’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, easy for you to say, _immortal_.” Caroline takes a big sip out of the glass, feeling her racing heart calm a little, “last I checked she’s a witch. What if she decides to just hex me and make me drop dead from a heart attack? The police won’t even be able to trace back to her!”

Klaus rolls his eyes at her theatrics, “this is a supernatural gathering, sweetheart. If anything you’d be buried silently without a tombstone.”

“You are _not helping_!” Caroline yells at him as loudly as she could under the circumstances, which, sadly, is not much better than a whisper and is not releasing her of any pent-up frustration.

Klaus merely chuckles at the daggers she throws him with her eyes. Seriously, the skin of that man. They’ve arrived at the garish ball aka their crime-scene-to-be for a good half an hour and their target has yet to shown, but all he’s done is teasing her paired with the occasional googly eyes-alright the latter half isn’t so bad but the timing can’t be more wrong. They are in the middle of a deadly operation here!

“Nothing’s going to happen, Caroline. I promise you.” Klaus reassures her, his voice wrapping around her like a safety blanket somehow, “I’ll be in the same room, listening in just in case. Vampire hearing, remember?”

Caroline downs the last of her drink, feigning unaffected, “you are just really nosy and controlling. You’ll be eavesdropping even if I tell you not to.”

“Well, it is _my_ plan, isn’t it, love?” Klaus takes her empty glass, putting it aside with his own, “but since our target is currently nowhere in sight, I don’t see why we can’t enjoy this fine evening.” He bows gracefully to her with a roguish smirk, looking at her from under his lashes, “lovely Miss Caroline, may I have the honor of a dance?”

A deep blush rises above her neck as Caroline looks frantically around, her eyes on anything and anyone around but him, “are you crazy? We’re on a secret mission! What if she comes in while we’re dancing?”

“Then we keep dancing.” Klaus sighs, a little exasperated, “stop fretting, sweetheart, and take my hand.” He wriggles his eyebrows, “just one dance.”

“Fine.” She puts her hand into his out-stretched one and electricity goes right through her, making her insides tingle. Caroline gasps and tries to pull back, but Klaus holds on to her tightly, leading her to the dance floor.

They fall into step with each other easily. His hand on her lower back radiating immense heat and energy, and everything around them-the people, the whispering and laughing, the music, the colors of lavish gowns and the mixed scents of perfumes, the crystal lights of the chandeliers-everything swirls in her peripheral, revolving around them like a small universe, but all she can feel in the center where the gravity pulls all of this together is his fiery touch on her skin, and the intense look in his eyes.

“A good call pulling you to the dance floor.” Klaus smirks, “or that beautiful dress would just go to waste blending in with the walls.”

Caroline snorts at that, “seriously, how big is your ego? Even when complimenting me you can’t help throwing in a little pat-on-the-shoulder for yourself.”

Klaus chuckles, the vibration of his chest rippling to where his hand touches her waist and she shivers imperceptibly, “no more talking about me then.” He clears his throat, “if I haven’t told you already you look ravishing in that dress.”

“Thanks.” She blushes, but can’t stop herself from preening just a bit, “but you did tell me.”

She can still remember how his eyes widened and his mouth hung open when he came back to the hotel suite at dusk after out "running errands" for a whole day. He looked perfect himself in his grey tux and a bow tie the exact same shade as her dress, but his eyes were fixed on her like she’s more of a view than the sunset behind her. He’d approached her almost reverently and held her hand up with a gentle questioning look. It was such an old-fashioned manner Caroline could only nod.

His lips on the back of her hand were hot just like the night before, and Caroline felt her heart hovering precariously over where their skin touched, skipping beats and beats as he stayed still.

When he finally straightened up they were both out of breath. He’d complimented her on her look then, his voice raspy, “cities could fall at your feet, Caroline.”

Klaus’ voice from present time pulls her back from her reverie, “then it must be something worth repeating.” She’s starting to think that the blush on her cheeks won’t go away for the rest of the evening.

“You know, I didn’t peg you as a dancer.” Caroline decides to clear the mood a bit, going for something lighter, “you seem more like the looming-in-the-corner-and-plotting type.”

“You pick up a thing or two when you’ve been in this world long enough.” Klaus dips her dramatically, making her quietly squeal and giggle, “and, what can I say, I enjoy the attention too much.”

True to his words, she can feel half of the room’s eyes on them. Because of how good they dance together or because he’s the infamous Klaus, that Caroline can’t tell. She tries to ignore them the best she could-she has to appear normal for their mission at hand, “don’t tell me you were there when Waltz was invented.”

“I can’t say I was. These things don’t happen in the blink of an eye, love. They progress through time. But I did witness it when it was still in its nascent form. My family and I, we were still in Europe around that time period, in Bavaria.” Klaus smiles in nostalgia, “Rebekah was the one who discovered it, actually. She used to sneak to our servants’ ball to have a taste of their ‘Walzer’. It was quite scandalous for a noblewoman but Rebekah was always reckless like that.”

“You are one to talk.” Caroline quirks an eyebrow, intrigued by the story and this side of Klaus, “you went with her, didn’t you?”

“The lady needed an escort after all. And a dance partner.” Klaus suddenly pulls her close until their chests touch and their breaths blend in a wave of heat, “these kind of moves you can’t share with just anyone.”

Caroline’s throat feels dry like she’s been trudging through the desert for weeks. The friction between their clothes tickles her heart and all her nerve endings seem hyper-sensitive with their close proximity. She pulls back a little to put distance between them, instantly feeling the loss. “Sounds like a lot of fun. With Rebekah, I mean. You did have happy moments when you were together, didn’t you?”

Klaus looks down for a moment, his lashes forming entrancing shadows on his cheek, “a thousand years alongside each other, it would be hard not to.” He looks back up at her, a set in his jaw and a harsh light to his eyes, “however, like every one of us, those shining moments were tainted and deformed. For each drop of happiness there’s a sea of hurt and hatred to go with it.”

Caroline bites her tongue. If it’s up to her she’d like to lecture Klaus on the topic for a good hour until he gets his self-pitying head out of his very delectable ass, but again-they have work to do. It’s neither the time nor the place. So she decides against pushing for now, but a little roundabout comment-that she can’t resist, “she seems an interesting girl, your sister. Hot-headed like you for sure, but apparently brave enough to stand up to you and tolerant enough to stay with you for all those years. And a good dancer.”

Klaus smiles but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes, “I’m sure you’ll like her when you do meet her.” He twirls her one last time as the music comes to a halt, and she sees in the corner of her eyes a black woman in a red dress entering, “and there’s our ticket to Rebekah.”

Caroline swallows as she stares at the woman from across the room. So that’s Gloria.

* * *

Caroline slowly approaches Gloria at the bar. The woman looks radiating in her form-fitting red sheath gown, sipping the absinthe that she just got from the bartender. She appears in her mid-forties but witches are known to slow down their aging with magic and if she was present when Klaus and Rebekah were here in the 20s, then she’s way  older than she looks.

But exactly how old-and how powerful-can she be? Caroline doesn’t know. She also doesn’t know how to talk to someone who drinks absinthe. Why didn’t Klaus prep her more thoroughly? She looks around the room where Klaus has already disappeared into thin air apparently, and sends a glare to no one in general. He’ll get it.

She inhales deeply and perches on the bar just beside Gloria, asking for a Margarita. While waiting for her drink she fans herself a little around the neck, and smiles at Gloria when their eyes "casually" meet, “it’s hot in here, isn’t it?”

Gloria shrugs noncommittally, giving no verbal reply. Okay, tough crowd.

“You’d think with so many supernatural beings here with more power than they can wield, they’d at least turn the AC up a bit stronger.” Caroline proceeds with her whiniest voice, “I don’t know why I came here in the first place.”

“Why _did_ you come then?” Gloria gives her a piercing look.

“Well I was bored.” Caroline pouts, “I don’t get all the hype about Chicago, really. I went shopping yesterday and let me tell you, it was _not_ a pleasant experience. The salesgirl knew nothing about her job and was downright annoying. Nice dress by the way.”

Gloria studies her for a second before she answers guardedly, “thank you.”

“Where did you get it?” Her drink’s up and Caroline takes a sip before continuing her charade.

“It’s an old gift.” Gloria smirks and Caroline can swear she drawls the word ‘old’ longer than necessary.

“Pity.” She says flippantly, “I was seriously considering finding a new place to shop after what I’ve been through yesterday. It was my friend Rebekah who recommended it to me, actually. I don’t know how she could stand that salesgirl. So rude.”

Gloria’s eyes flicker at the mention of Rebekah’s name and Caroline ploughs forward, “do you know her? Rebekah? She told me she’d been here for quite a while back in the day.”

Gloria scrutinizes Caroline with a hard look, sending a chill down her spine, “our paths have crossed, yes. But I wouldn’t say I know her.”

“Well who does?” Caroline snorts, “that girl’s whimsical as hell. One minute she’s all besties with me, sharing gossips and boy talk, and the next minute she just disappears! Can you believe it? What kind of friend does that?” She takes another sip of her Margarita, using the buzz from the alcohol as momentum to broach the subject, “if you’ve seen her recently you’ve got to tell me. She owes me at least one drink and a manicure.”

“That depends.” Gloria puts her empty glass down on the counter, “are you asking on your behalf, or Klaus’?” Surprise must have shown on her face because Gloria raises her eyebrows mockingly, “you two were quite cozy there on the dance floor. It was hard to miss.”

Caroline’s heart is racing wildly but she has to keep up the appearance, “I’m merely asking as a friend. Klaus is angry with his sister right now. I don’t think he wants to see her face for the next century. He’s petty that way.”

_Klaus, if you’re listening in as you promised, I’m not sorry._

She doesn’t know about Klaus, but Gloria seems to share her humor, who huffs a laugh at her words, “you are not wrong about that.” She crosses her arms in front of her chest, “which is why I don’t plan to get involved with him or his. So if you’ll excuse me.”

Caroline wants so bad to shout at her retreating back that she’s not Klaus’, but her mission went well overall and she’s not about to sabotage it for a meaningless comment.

“Well done, sweetheart.”

She jumps at the voice beside her ear and almost spills her drink over her precious dress. She whips around, hissing at a grinning Klaus, “seriously? Can’t you just walk up to me like a normal person?”

“But where’s the fun in that?” Klaus is still grinning like the big baby that he is and Caroline rolls her eyes at him.

“Now what?”

“Now we prey.” His grin turns wolfish as he silently leads her to a corridor without anyone noticing. There, standing beside an open window, his arm winds firmly around her waist and he whispers against her ear, “be quiet and hold on, love.”

And before the words sink in she’s halfway out the window with buildings zooming past her, their fleeting images dissolving into the wind faster than she can register. She has no choice but to grab at the lapels of his tux, bracing herself against his sturdy arm and hypnotizing scent of forest and champagne.

Sooner than expected they come to a stop on the roof of a house with maybe two or three stories. He crouches low and pulls her down with him. Thanks to the streetlights below them they are shrouded completely by dark shadows. Caroline carefully glances around and finds the lit-up top of the house where the ball is being held. They are already several blocks away.

“What are we doing here?” She whispers in Klaus’ ear. He gently shushes her and points down to the end of the street. Caroline squints but nothing’s there. Klaus must have heard something with his vampire senses.

The answer rounds the corner in a second. Gloria stealthily steps into the street, the click of her heels so light they’re almost lost in Caroline’s ears. She’s wary and wound up, constantly glancing behind her shoulder as she approaches the house they’re on top of. She stops at the door and knocks quietly, twice short and once long. Half a minute later the door opens, but Caroline can’t see the person inside from her stand point, nor can she hear the words being whispered in a hush between the two.

She glances sideways at Klaus, whose face seems intense and focused, clearly taking every word of the conversation in. Normally she hates not in the know. It makes her anxious to have so little control over the situation and her lips itch from wanting to ask Klaus what’s going on. Suddenly his hand reaches over to grab hers, his thumb rubbing soothing circles around her knuckles. Her heart flutters as she turns to him, and he mouths ‘later’ to her with a fond look.

His head abruptly whips around. Caroline follows his eyes to see a short guy stepping out and shutting the door. Without a further word, he and Gloria starts in opposite directions and are soon around either corners of the street. She’s wondering who they will follow next (or should they split up this time?) when Klaus’ breath is hot on her earlobe, “stay here. Don’t make a sound. I’ll be right back.”

And then of course he whooshes off. Caroline straightens up with a huff. She’s really getting tired of all these vampire abilities. If only they were in the ocean-she’d show him what’s fast and furious. At least she got the message that he was going after the short guy from the wind in his wake, she thinks to herself, unamused.

Out of the blue a searing pain penetrates her head and she can’t stop the scream of agony escaping her lips. As she drops down to the roof tiles she pries her eyes open with all her will power, getting a glimpse of red down in the street, but then it blurs into darkness and all she can feel is the excruciating pain in her brain.

Seconds pass or maybe it’s hours, and she feels hands around her shoulders, trying to hold her up. She struggles weakly against them, but stops when she hears his voice, “it’s okay. It’s me. Caroline,” he cradles her in his arms and leans her head on his shoulder, “tell me what’s wrong.”

“Klaus,” she croaks out, fear settling in, “it hurts. My head hurts. And I can’t see.”

She hears him curse harshly under his breath, but his hand brushing away the hair from her face are gentle like the breeze, “the old hag, she gave you an aneurysm. Must have thought you were one of us.”

She can’t make sense of his words. The pain is numbing her brain and she can feel herself beginning to fade into a deeper darkness. Something is pushed to her lips and his frantic voice is muffled by the haze clouding her, but she can still hear him, “drink, Caroline. Drink. It’ll heal you.”

She opens her mouth and lets the liquid trickle down her throat. It’s warm with a rustic taste, making her cough in discomfort but he just holds her closer, urging her on, “that’s it. Take it all in. Good girl.”

Slowly Caroline regains her senses, and realizes it’s his hand caressing her hair and his blood in her mouth. The pain is completely gone, so she releases his wrist and pushes out of his arms, tentatively sitting up by herself.

“How are you feeling?” Klaus hovers over her, worry etched into his features, “are you sure you don’t need more of my blood?”

“I’m fine, just a bit tired.” Caroline manages a little wobbly smile, still shaken up by the sudden turn of events, “but I think I’m good for now. Thank you.”

Klaus shakes his head, “I shouldn’t have left you alone. Gloria went too far this time.” He has a murderous look on his face, venom dripping from his tone, “she should know better than to touch you. Not a century away and already she forgets what I’m capable of. I’m going to-”

“Klaus.” Caroline cuts him off with a stern look, not in the mood to hear his threats. He relents under her stare, huffing and turning away. “Did you get to that man?”

Klaus sighs, “I’ll get to him later. Now let’s get you out of here.” He holds out his arms and again gives Caroline a questioning look and she nods. One more vampire ride won’t hurt. He sets her safely in his arms and jumps into the dark night.

By the time they arrive at the hotel Caroline feels rejuvenated, pretty much back to her usual self. She drops down to the giant sofa in the living room when they enter their suite, letting out a sigh of relief, “what a night.” She went to a ball, danced with the original hybrid, talked to a really old witch, did some spying, and almost died from a curse that popped the blood vessels in her brain. More eventful than a year under the sea.

Klaus sits down next to her, leaning his head back on the top of the sofa, “yeah. Are you sure you are alright, sweetheart?”

“For the hundredth time, I’m fine.” Caroline throws her head back a little exasperatedly, “your blood wasn’t all that tasty,” she makes a face, “but it does the trick.”

Klaus laughs, loosing his bow tie, “glad to be of service.”

“Are you going after that guy? The one that ran away? Do you think he’s a contact of your sister’s?” Now that her strength is back, Caroline’s mind is working at full speed, recalling all the details she gathered through the evening and connecting the dots.

“Don’t worry yourself with that, love.” Klaus says distractedly, “I have a plan.”

“Which is…?”

“Which is for you to sit tight, and for me to get some clues.”

“No way. Uh-uh. You’re not leaving me out of it this time.” Caroline straightens up in her seat and whirls around at him, her temper suddenly rising, “wherever you are going to get those ‘clues’, you are taking me with you.”

Klaus sits up to face her, his brows furrowed in a frustrated knot, “You saw what happened tonight, Caroline. You are strong and all, but I’m afraid your prowess won’t be of much use here on land. It’s dangerous.”

“ _You’re_ dangerous!” Caroline raises her voice, the fright and nerves of the whole night taking its toll, driving her emotions to the extreme, “You insisted that I come away with you. You involve me in a plan that I know little to nothing of. You even used me as bait with Gloria at the ball, didn’t you? You wanted to get her alarmed but you didn’t want to scare her off, so you put me to it. Why didn’t you just say so?”

Klaus’ voice is restrained as he stands up and paces to the liquor cabinet, “it’s been a long night. I think you should get some rest.”

“That’s it? You are dismissing me?” Caroline stalks angrily after him, “well tough luck, mister. I’m not done here.”

Klaus pulls out a decanter and pours the amber liquid in a glass, downing it in one go, “well I am. Seems like we are at an impasse.”

Caroline puts her hands on her hips and glares at him, “tell me what your next move is and take me with you.”

Klaus throws the glass on the counter with a heavy thud, “you almost died tonight, Caroline! I will not put you in another perilous situation, not on my watch!”

Caroline can see the fear deep behind his outburst but she’s too worked up to care, “you put me in a perilous situation when you dragged me from home! It’s too late to change your mind now. The least you could do is let me in on your secretive plotting, which by the way, may not even be that smart because your judgments are no doubt clouded by your ginormous ego!”

“Well I don’t know about before but now they are certainly clouded, by your incessant nagging.” Klaus bites out, the vessels along his neck standing out and pulsing from anger and Caroline has the sudden urge to lick it-or to jab a pen in it, whichever comes first. Her body feels so hot from all the yelling but she wants to get it hotter by pressing against his rigid back and just-

“Argh I’m so angry at you right now!” She stomps her foot but the loud sound can’t seem to cover the hoarse tremble lined behind the words.

Klaus, obviously picking up on the subtle change in her voice, swallows involuntarily, his Adam’s apple bobbing in the most arousing way. He eyes her long and slow, and heat accumulates in her lower belly under that look, making her palms sweat and her breath hitch. “Don’t even think about what you are thinking right now!” She manages to find her voice.

“And what am I thinking?” Klaus croons, his voice flowing through her like burning lava.

He’s so aggravating like this, tempting her and drawing her in with his trap-like words and silky voice that she’s sure he perfected through all his years of living (or death, semantics). He thinks he’s got it all figured out, the luring and chasing and all those convoluted moves of a dance to kill. But Caroline will not fall prey to his predator.

The renewed anger somehow clears her lust-muddled head and Caroline pins Klaus in a taunting look, “Let me spell it out for you. I’m angry, not angry ‘horny’, not angry ‘I want to jump your bones and maybe scratch you and bite you in the process’, it’s angry ‘I want to punch you so hard in the guts your dick scares to death from just watching’.”

Klaus visibly flinches from the image and Caroline smiles triumphantly, “now, where were we? Oh right, your plan.”

“Plans are not meant to be told, sweetheart.” Klaus sighs, worn out from her stubbornness.

“Well like it or not, we are a team now. And as a team we should work together. Do you know how to work together with people Klaus? You share information and move as one.” She ignores his exaggerated eye-roll, “What does it hurt to clue me in? Maybe I can help.” She holds his gaze, letting the sincerity bleed through.

“What if I tell you that I plan to kiss you?” Klaus blurts out and they both freeze. His startled look soon turns to dangerous and smoldering, “I’ve been planning it since we left that bloody shore.”

It’s he who’s holding her gaze now, almost glaring, daring her to turn away. Caroline stalks towards him and his eyelashes tremble uncontrollably every time her foot sets on the ground. When she’s close enough Caroline reaches up and cups his clenched jaw with both of her hands. He tries to turn his face to the side, evading her touch, but Caroline’s fingers coax him to stay still. She stares into his eyes and gives him a questioning look, but he’s too stubborn or too scared or maybe a little dumb he doesn’t seem to understand, his eyes wary and unrevealing. So Caroline puts her question on her lips and presses it to his.

His lips are soft and warm but Caroline retreats quickly, looking up at him again. Klaus pauses from his instinct to chase her lips and focuses on her stare. Layer by layer, his eyes light up like the city at dusk, brighter and brighter until a skyful of stars can’t rival the glamour. _Finally_ , Caroline thinks as she adds a little force to her hands and pulls him down.

The world fades as they kiss, stumbling tongues and crushing lips; but it vivifies at the same time, a gentle caress igniting flames and a soft moan drawing storms. Caroline doesn’t know a kiss can feel this good-she bets Klaus doesn’t either.

So when they finally breaks apart, chests heaving in sync, she has a smug little smile on her face, “told you I could help.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised.” Klaus touches her cheek, as if to feel the smile on his fingertips, and when he does he holds it in his palm with all the care in the world, “guess I’ll have to include you in my plans from now on.”

* * *

The house is smaller than Klaus thought. Probably no more than three or four bedrooms, with a modest yard. The only upside is the view of the sea. And maybe the red flowers blossoming from the little patio on the rooftop. All in all, not Rebekah’s usual style.

But two weeks of searching makes his self-doubt grow. What is Rebekah’s style really? He expected Europe, around the Mediterranean area, with rich culture and rich wine. Or still in the US, somewhere along the coastline, if she was feeling bold enough. Not Australia though. Not this meager abode blending into plain sight, with nothing in particular for it to stand out.

They’ve always resided in grand mansions. They were unscrupulous creatures who needed their own space, and they had powers to gain that luxury. Sometimes it’s hard to remember they used to cramp in that little cottage in their hometown, worrying about next day’s food. It’s hard to remember those days at all.

Or it’s just a lie he tells himself, to cover the fact that he never forgets it for one second of his afterlife.

Klaus stares at the house as if it could transform into some magical contraption or just disappear in front of his eyes. He still can’t quite believe he’ll find Rebekah here. Nothing of the house screams her name. Or does it? She did always like red flowers.

“Are you going in there or are you planning to spend the rest of your immortal life in this car?” Caroline asks dryly from the passenger’s seat, “cause if that’s the case I’m gonna have to ask you to at least drive it to the beach. The water’s calling to me.”

He can hear the longing buried deep in her teasing voice. It’s been two weeks since they found Gloria, and contact after contact they tracked Rebekah down. He tried his best to keep her comfortable, but bathtubs and swimming pools can just do so much. “So you’d still be here? Even if I decide to live in a car?”

“Yes, I will accompany you to see your sister.” Caroline rolls her eyes adorably as she reaches over to unbuckle his seatbelt, “now come on, quit stalling. Off you go.”

Klaus places a hand on her back and keeps her there, their noses brushing against each other, “you know this is the end, right?”

Part of him wants to turn around and leave. To take Caroline on that trip that he always tempts her with and leave Rebekah to her own idea of a perfect life. To be satisfied enough with the knowledge that his little sister is safe and contented somewhere in the world and to make peace with the concept that he won’t be able to see her or even talk to her whenever he feels like it. To become a mere memory, no matter sweet or sad or just infinitely pale. Maybe that’ll do them both some good.

“No, it’s not.” Caroline leans down and gives him a quick peck on the corner of his lips, “not yet.” Then she’s out of his arms and out of the car, waving at him to follow from across the street.

Klaus touches his lips, a little bit awestruck. They haven’t shared another kiss since that night, nor did they talk about it, both under the tacit impression that they would pursue that line of discussion after they solved the problem with Rebekah. There’s been moments, hot sparkling electrified ones at that, but they managed to avoid the actual move.

Until just then.

Caroline’s mouthing ‘hurry up’ at him, miming staking him in the heart. Klaus pushes the door open and steps out with a smile and an eye-roll. They’ll revisit the subject when it’s time.

Now he has to go see his little sister.

He isn’t blocked out of the door by the invisible barrier that prevents vampires from entering. It figures. There aren’t many in this world that can threaten Rebekah and the ones that can won’t be kept out by a human owner of the house. The first floor is empty, so he quietly goes up the narrow staircase, pulling Caroline behind him.

It’s already past dusk outside and the whole house is bleak with grey shadows lurking in every corner. Only one of the rooms on the second floor is lit up, the light streaming from the end of the hallway. So it’s an invitation then.

Klaus saunters over, not worried about hiding the sound of his footsteps. When he pulls the door open this time, he does hit a barrier. Beyond the barrier, the face of his sister smiles coldly at him.

“Nik. Took you long enough. I was wondering if you’d ever come up at this rate.”

Klaus pats the barrier mockingly, “Rebekah. A warm welcome as always.”

Rebekah flips her hair to her back and crosses her arms, “you should be glad that it’s only a harmless barrier.”

“Yeah, if it’s up to me you’d be flying out of the window with massive cuts on your body by now.” A voice comes from further inside the room, and then the girl stalks out, standing just to the side of Rebekah, glaring at him.

“Bonnie Bennett.” Klaus lightly pinches his own chin as he leers at the witch, “now how did I know I’d find you here?”

Bonnie snorts, “how did you like my note, Klaus?”

Rage boils in his chest, but he pushes it down, his smirk growing deeper and more ominous, “it was quite clever, really. Sent me treasure hunting while you kidnap my sister halfway across the world.”

“I did _not_ kidnap your sister.” Bonnie’s eyes flicker in anger, “I did not take her against her will and force her to do anything she didn’t want to. I did not threaten you with her life in exchange for your humble service. I did not hurt her for my personal gain.”

“I know witches are good at holding grudges,” Klaus opens his arms, “and believe it or not I admire your valor to act on it. But this is family business, Bonnie, and I suggest you stay clear. These brawls inside our family can get pretty violent, and we wouldn’t want anyone to get caught in the crossfire.”

“Cut it, Nik. Between Bonnie and me we can write a book about your empty threats.” Rebekah retorts, “and Bonnie is my friend. I want her here.”

“Friends, huh?” Klaus’ eyes flashes, “those seem to be overflowing in your new life lately. I don’t recall seeing them during our thousand years together.”

“And whose fault is that?”

Klaus huffs a cold laugh, his hands waving midair in a dramatic fashion, “yes, blame me for your insufferable temper and your poor judgments.” His eyes squint at the bracelet on her wrist, his tone becoming more cutting, “such a cheap human trinket and you fall right into her deceiving sob story.”

The moment he saw that bracelet that had once been Elena’s possession adorning Rebekah’s wrist he knew what had transpired. Another doppelganger stealing another of his siblings from him. But doppelgangers were expected to behave as such. Selfishness and guile ran in their veins.

Not his siblings. Especially not Rebekah.

Rebekah’s hand instinctively shoots up to cover her friendship bracelet protectively, “I don’t expect you to understand, Nik. You never do.”

“Tell me how I’m supposed to understand this.” Klaus snarls at her, “how I’m supposed to understand that you of all people went behind my back and ruined my only chance of getting my heart’s desire. I could have had hybrids! People of my own. I was so close and you took it from me for _that_!” He throws his hand towards the bracelet and his fist ends up banging on the barrier, a loud thud booming in the room.

“It was never supposed to be yours.” Bonnie’s voice cuts through his tirade, “You just claimed it regardless of anyone and anything other than you. Elena doesn’t deserve to live her life in your shadow, serving as your long-term blood bag. And those wolves that you planned to turn don’t deserve to-”

“To what?” Klaus bristles, his eyes flashing yellow in full hybrid feature, “to become an abomination like me? To live as a hybrid, shunned by either species yet stronger than both?”

“You were going to kill them in the process!” Bonnie spits out in contempt, “those are people’s lives! Not some toys you can play house with for the three minutes of your attention span.”

Klaus clenches his teeth, wanting more than anything to tear down the barrier and rip out the little witch’s throat, “we’d be connected by blood for eternity.”

“ _We_ are connected by blood for eternity!” Rebekah throws up her hands, “loathing as I am to admit it. You have a family and yet you are hell-bent on creating another. What did you think it would be like, Nik? That they would accept you with open arms no matter what? That they wouldn’t ever leave you? All the blood in the world cannot possibly achieve that.”

“I guess it can’t.” His voice is low but it hurts him more than ever coming out of his throat, like it’s dragging his insides out in the open and all that’s left in him is pain and emptiness. He stares at Rebekah, not willing to back down and he can see the same hurt and hollow in her eyes. Their endless time on this earth has only drained them of all things good and the only things they can give out now are rotten wounds and charred ashes.

“What do you want, Nik?” Rebekah asks in the silence, her face emotionless but her eyes so, so tired.

Klaus opens his mouth several times but no sounds come out. What does he want? Up until this very minute he hasn’t exactly thought about that. For the past weeks he was driven by the sole purpose of finding Rebekah, but now he’s found her. Does he force her, threaten her, guilt her or trick her to come with him? Does he leave her be and wait for her to come crawling back when she hits rock bottom? Or does he leave her life for good?

His mind is still a mess but a voice from behind saves him from answering right away, “um…you mind if I cut in?”

Caroline. She’s been so quiet he nearly forgot she was there the whole time.

“Since we are starting to talk terms here,” Caroline steps up and stands beside him, “maybe I should throw in one of own.”

“Who the hell are you?” Rebekah furrows her brows, obviously surprised at the other blonde’s presence.

“I’m Caroline. It’s very nice to finally meet you, Rebekah. I’d shake hands with you but…you know.” Caroline lightly knocks the barrier and shrugs.

Rebekah rolls her eyes, “it’s been what? Two weeks? Three? And you’ve already found a cheap substitute of me. And she’s not even that pretty. How pathetic, Nik.”

Klaus has a thousand sarcastic remarks on his tongue now but Caroline beats him to it, “Excuse you!” She puts her hands on her hip, her face threateningly close the barrier to glare at Rebekah, “that’s a very rude thing to say. And for your information, I’m Klaus’ friend.”

Klaus glances at her from the corner of his eyes. Friends? This is the first time he’s heard of this. Rebekah seems to share his incredulity.

“Nik doesn’t have friends.”

“Well he does now.” Caroline tilts her head a little and explains in a matter-of-fact voice.

“No matter. He’ll toss you away soon enough.” Rebekah snorts, “that is if you don’t end up dead first.”

Caroline is about to rebut that when Bonnie jumps in, her eyes suspicious on the strange girl, “I don’t care what your relationship with him is. You said you wanted something? Does that something concern me?”

“Actually, yes.” Caroline admits a little sheepishly and Bonnie’s eyes instantly narrow, “Klaus has promised that he would help me find a Bennett witch and well…here I am. But I think I should ask you myself.” She fidgets on her toes, “I know we’ve only just met and haven’t even been properly introduced but…I could really use your help.”

Bonnie shakes her head guardedly, “I don’t help people involved with Klaus.”

“And yet you helped my sister fake her kidnap and possible death in the sea.” Klaus quirks his eyebrows, “ah the irony.”

Rebekah points her finger towards the two of them, “what is this? Why did you promise her anything? Why are you helping her now?”

“I’m helping Caroline, dear sister,” Klaus clasps his hands together behind his back, “because she helped me fetch a certain coffin from the bottom of the ocean. And why did I need the coffin you ask?” He tilts his head, seemingly searching his brain for the answer, “oh yes, because I was tricked into thinking that you were in there, all desiccated and helpless.”

“And just why was I desiccated and sealed in a bloody coffin in the first place?” Rebekah shouts at him, her hands in fists, “you had it coming, Klaus, and you don’t get to whine about it!”

“Wait,” Bonnie takes a few steps towards Caroline, “you fetched that coffin for him?” Her eyes widen at Caroline’s tiny nod, “you are a mermaid?”

Something flashes through Klaus’ mind, and he turns to Bonnie with evil eyes, “you knew. You led me to that shore on purpose.” He smirks menacingly, “sorry to disappoint you but as you can see, the mermaids did not tear me apart as you wished.”

“Hey!” Caroline slapped his upper arm, “we do not harm people! Well, at least innocent ones.” She shrugs, her voice lowering as she realizes what Klaus’ been talking about, “our kind does not take well to treasure hunters. We are a bit, um…territorial.”

“I thought your kind loves being the savior of drowning Adonis.” Rebekah snarks.

Caroline throws her head back in a frustrated sigh, “that’s all dolphin.”

Bonnie, clearly not pleased with getting off their topic, zeroes in on Caroline, “if you are a mermaid, why are you on his side?”

“I’m on my own side here.” Caroline forages in her purse and pulls out the seashell, “you see this? A witch from your bloodline sealed my mom’s voice in it years ago, but it’s broken and I want to fix it. So I made a deal with Klaus and he took me here.”

A wistful smile emerges on Bonnie’s face and for the first time since Klaus came to the room, her eyes soften, “that was my grams. She used to tell me about your tribe and her travel around that part of the ocean. That’s why I thought of leading Klaus there.” She lifts an eyebrow, “I was counting on you guys to take care of him for me.”

“Well,” Caroline glances at Klaus, a little smile playing in her eyes, “he met me. And obviously isn’t being eaten away by little fishes on the seabed. But it could be a curse in disguise.”

He sincerely doubt that.

“Maybe I can help you with that.” Bonnie gestures to the seashell, “but Klaus isn’t welcome here.”

“Well lucky for you, witch,” Klaus paces along the barrier, “despite your repeated attempts at defying me, I didn’t come here for you. So it’s not up to you whether I leave or stay.”

“Too bad.” Bonnie relies dryly, “my name’s on the lease together with Rebekah’s. And I say, no.”

The whole room falls into an uncomfortable silence, the tension pressing down on everyone like deadly weights. Klaus searches Rebekah’s face, taking in how she glances at Bonnie with that tiny glimpse of uncertainty and how her eyes grow a shade darker when she turns back to stare him down. She’s all hard lines and pursed lips, with just that slight tremble in the far end of her jaw and imperceptible reddening around the brim of her eyes.

She’s so fierce and stubborn and scared and unapologetic. Just like him. Like they once were when they were helpless kids subjected to fists and terror; like they always have been when they were the most feared and revolted creatures wreaking havoc and tearing their way through life.

Once again he feels drained. He holds out his hand, trying to reach Rebekah, to tuck her silky hair behind her ear like thousands of times before, but against his palm is the barrier, cold and hard and unyielding.

“You asked me what I wanted, little sister.” Klaus sighs, “but I’m not making the call. Not this time. Tell me Rebekah, what do _you_ want?”

Rebekah sucks in a breath, shaken by his change of heart, “I had the most terrible time of my life these past weeks. I have my own house, my own beach. The town is peace and quiet, and the view is beautiful. I have a friend. But I still feel absolutely dreadful. Not because I missed you, but because I was scared that you’d come for me any minute. That you’d rip it all away and put a dagger in my heart. You have that much power over me and I don’t trust you not to do it again.” She shakes her head, a single tear seeping out of her eye, and it’s the only thing shining painfully in the darkness looming over them, “I want you out of my life, Nik.”

* * *

Caroline stops right in front of Rebekah, drops her purse on the corner of the towel that the other girl’s lying on, and gasps, “oh, I didn’t see you there.”

“If you are going to act, put some effort into it. It makes up slightly for your lack of talent.” Caroline can practically sense the eye-roll from behind Rebekah’s shades, “and you are blocking the sun.”

“It’s not like you can actually get tanned.” Caroline drops down carelessly next to her, wrapping herself tighter in her thick cardigan, “you are a vampire and it’s September, in Australia.”

Rebekah sits up and pushes her shades to the top of her head, eyeing her up and down, “what are you doing here? It’s a private beach and you are not welcome.”

Caroline shrugs, “I came to see Bonnie. She fixed my seashell.” She rummages through her purse and takes it out excitedly, “she’s really powerful. Just a few chants and a flick of her wrist and bam! It’s as good as new.”

“Put that away from my face.” Rebekah frowns at her coldly, “or I can’t guarantee I won’t break it all over again.”

Caroline’s hands instantly jerk back, holding the seashell close to her heart, “you make better threats than your brother. Meaner.”

“I don’t want to talk about him.” Rebekah drags her shades back to place, “especially not with you.”

Caroline refrains from commenting on the fact that she doesn’t even want her here half a minute ago. “Fine. No Klaus talk.” She makes a zipping motion across her lips, “so, you are friends with Bonnie? How did that happen? No offense, but from what I gathered, Bonnie doesn’t care for vampires very much.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” Rebekah snorts, but a little smile creeps on her face, “she hates vampires. She’s a witch after all. They are repulsed by our kind almost physically.” She makes a face, “Bonnie was friends with Elena first. They grew up together.”

“The girl Klaus used in his ritual? Sorry.” Caroline apologizes immediately, noticing her slip-up.

But Rebekah doesn’t seem to mind. She plays with the friendship bracelet on her wrist, colorful threads woven together in simple patterns. The whole thing looks generic and nondescript at best. “she pleaded to me, you know. Nik was out doing some last-minute check-up and I was supposed to watch her. She got all teary and emotional and I was getting bored. But then she asked me to kill her.”

“What?” Caroline gasps, for real this time.

“She said it was better than a life controlled by Klaus.” Rebekah huffs, “she’d rather die than be tied to my brother for life. And for a minute I was jealous of her, because she could make that decision so easily. Such a pure, untainted creature, with such clean-cut morals. So instead of killing her, I put my blood in a glass of wine and made her drink it.”

“That’s going to turn her into a vampire if she dies, right?” Caroline asks, rubbing the seashell unconsciously, now genuinely intrigued by Rebekah’s side of the story.

“If she’s lucky enough to die with it in her system, yes. And she was. Nik killed her in the ritual and she came back. She left the bracelet for Bonnie to give to me before she ran away, saying that although she didn’t want to be a vampire, she was thankful that I gave her the choice to be free. So into symbolism, that girl.” Rebekah picks at the bracelet, seemingly lost in thought.

“Do you know what happened to her after that?”

Rebekah shakes her head, “I don’t even know if she completed the transition. She was always so opposed to vampirism though, acting all superior in her fragile human form. She could be dead now. Or running around the world, drinking half the population dry. Who cares?”

“Then why did you keep the bracelet?” Caroline looks at her with piercing eyes. Rebekah is so like her brother sometimes it’s uncanny. But then again, they are siblings who’ve been together for a thousand years. The thought makes Caroline melt inside as much as it creeps her out.

The nonchalant look on Rebekah’s face falters for a second, her lips parting slightly in bemusement, “I guess freedom does have its appeal. Even a symbolic one.”

Caroline hums in response, not pressing any further. Being with Klaus for the past two weeks has improved her communication skills exponentially. And negotiation. And battling. And maybe dancing. It’s all about push and pull, knowing when to dive in and when to let it go. She waves the seashell tentatively at Rebekah, “do you want to hear it?”

The girl doesn’t respond so Caroline takes that as a yes (she’s getting really good at reading grudging affirmatives too). She puts her lips to the seam of the seashell and gently blows. Buzzing noises gradually come out, and then her mother’s voice is singing in their ears. It’s the most special version of Brahms’ _Lullaby_ she’s ever heard but it’s also the most beautiful in her heart.

When the singing ends Rebekah licks her lips hesitantly, “I thought you were a mermaid.” She’s trying so hard to keep the frown out of her face Caroline laughs out loud.

“It’s fine. I know she was never a good singer.” She looks at Rebekah teasingly, seeing her blush in embarrassment, “She was just a human though. That’s why I can walk on land.”

“A hybrid.” Rebekah lifts her brows, her voice a little awed.

Caroline shrugs, “I guess you could say that. But my life is pretty ordinary compared to Klaus’.”

“My mother used to sing lullabies to me also.” Rebekah reminisces in a gentle voice, “or she would just chant something. A spell that keeps away nightmares I think. It was very soothing.” Noticing Caroline’s puzzled looks she explains, “she was a powerful witch, our mother.” Considering for a few moments, she sighs, “she was the one that put the curse on Nik.”

Caroline’s eyes widen. Her mind flashes to the night at the hotel when she told Klaus about her father. The look he gave her then made Caroline’s heart well up with sadness, so poignant like he knew exactly how she felt; like he was reliving the painful experience through Caroline’s narration. “he didn’t tell me about that.”

“Nik’s pretty tight-lipped on that subject.”

“It was a cruel thing to do.” Caroline is fuming inside. What kind of mother does that to her child? But her dad did something similar-he didn’t go through with it though. Did it make her dad better? Would Klaus’ mother stop then if he had his own seashell?

“It was.” Rebekah looks down, grabbing a handful of sand then letting it slip from the seams of her fingers, “after the ritual I couldn’t get his cries of pain out of my head for days. Even now I still have nightmares about it sometimes.”

She is silent for a long time, just playing with the sand. After what seems like hours she finally speaks, her voice barely audible, “is he here?”

Caroline shakes her head, offering an empathetic smile, “he thinks you don’t want to see him.” Klaus has been so quiet ever since they left Rebekah’s last night for the hotel-not that she blame him. But something about his silence worries her. Normally he can be a man with few words a lot of the time, but there’s always this vibrant passion around him, like he’s soaking everything in with all of him. But now he just seems…off. Bleak. Really, really tired.

Rebekah looks torn even with her shades on, her lower lip a deep red from all the biting. Suddenly there’s a click in Caroline’s mind and she grabs Rebekah’s hand, “I want to show you something.”

“I thought you already showed me.” Rebekah gestures at Caroline’s seashell with her chin.

Caroline shakes her head, putting the seashell back into her purse, “no, something else.” She stands up and pulls Rebekah with her, “do you trust me?”

Rebekah tries to pull free, “not really, no.”

“Okay I know trust issue probably runs in your family but just this once,” Caroline bats her eyelashes at her, “come with me?”

“Fine.” Rebekah drops her shades and stands up with a huff, “I get why Nik’s with you now. You are so clingy and whiny it’s impossible to shake you off.”

Caroline rolls her eyes, dragging Rebekah with her to the shoreline, “yep. That’s my charm.”

“Are you trying to get me down there?” Rebekah shrills as they wend their way further and further into the water, “it’s freezing and I have no interest in fish-watching!”

“Take a deep breath.” Caroline ignores her protests.

“What?”

“You are right, we’re going down, so take a deep breath.” Caroline gives her a challenging look, “you are immortal and you are wearing a bikini. What’s the worst thing that could happen?”

“I could drown and you’d leave me there as fish food?” Rebekah glares at her.

“I promise I will take you back. It’s just a tour.”

Instead of saying anything, Rebekah inhales deeply as she asked, still glaring. Caroline bites back a smile and pulls the original down with her, feeling the lower half of her body changing into a tail.

The water is indeed freezing but she’s used to it. It feels liberating and comforting being back in the sea after so long. She looks back at Rebekah briefly, flashing her an encouraging smile before diving deeper into the ocean, her hand holding on tight.

She’s going fast, knowing that Rebekah, as a vampire, must be used to the speed. Schools of colorful fish pass them and beautiful corals appear around but Caroline doesn’t stop. She goes straight down towards the unseeing darkness where she can sense a hollow calling, absorbing and swallowing everything in sight. A trench.

When she’s just a few feet from the edge she looks back at Rebekah again. She can barely make out the lines of her face but she can tell her oxygen is almost used up. She squeezes Rebekah’s hand to reassure her before dragging her back up.

They are back on the shore in no time. Rebekah drops down on the sand and slaps Caroline's hand away, coughing violently, “if you really wanted to murder me that much you could have at least go for something less strenuous.”

Caroline kneels beside her and pats her back gently, “I’m sorry. I know it must have felt awful, but I just wanted you to see-”

“See what?” Rebekah grits out.

“To see what Klaus saw.”

Rebekah freezes at her words, her head jerking up to stare at her with such fury and violence, black veins emerging under her eyes.

Caroline holds her eyes without flinching, “he was trying to fetch your coffin himself. He didn’t sense my presence at first, but I was watching him the whole time. From noon till midnight, he must have dived in hundreds of times, each time a little bit closer, but not close enough.”

She mistook him for someone committing suicide at first. But after the tenth or so try she knew he had a goal-one that he couldn’t possibly give up, not if he was alive. And she recognized him then, recognized him as the person whose life may never come to an end. So she watched him, struggling again and again, face straining from suffocation, letting the darkness swallow him without a sound. But he always came back out-until the last time when he almost didn’t.

“The last time he went down there, he was almost within arm’s reach to the coffin, but I could see that he’d already run out of oxygen and was hanging there with sheer will, but he didn’t go back up. He was hesitating. There was no way he’d get your coffin and push it out of the water, but he was hesitating. In oceans that deep one second of delay could cost you your life. But I suspect he was considering actually dying for the moment and getting the coffin when he came back.”

“That’s crazy.” Rebekah whispers.

Caroline nods, “it was. So I came out and saved his crazy ass.”

She squeezes Rebekah’s shoulder. She’s shivering, so Caroline runs up the beach to fetch her towel and wraps it around her. “I’m not asking you to forgive him for what he did. It’s not my place, and I do think what he did was pretty unforgivable. Plus, I’m all for being your own person and building your own life. If you want that, I say go for it.”

Rebekah is avoiding her eyes, looking into her own laps, her face unreadable. Caroline continues in a lower voice, “but I just want you to know that he was willing to die-momentarily of course, but still die to get you back.” She sighs deeply, the complicated history between the siblings weighing heavily on her heart, “just…keep that in mind when you go on separate ways.”

When she stands up to leave, she catches the tiniest nod from Rebekah, and the first hint of a smile.

* * *

Klaus looks out the window of their hotel room, fascinated by the budding branches of the blue jacaranda. He hasn’t spent that much time in the Southern Hemisphere in his thousand years on earth, and the reverse of seasons still catches him off guard sometimes. Spring in September-that takes some time to get used to even for him.

But it is quite beautiful. The little coffee shop where he met with Rebekah before she left was surrounded by tulips, and she’d stopped mid-sentence in their conversation to take a sniff. It reminded him so much of their childhood days.

Their parting was considerably genial. Neither apologized in words. It wouldn’t suffice anyway, so they avoided talking about the past altogether.

He had thought that Rebekah would want to stay here a little longer, seeing as it was the first place she’d set foot on after getting rid of him. He expected her to linger for a few years, maybe even put down some roots. But Rebekah rebutted that idea right away, “my world doesn’t revolve around you, Nik, or the void of you. From now on I’m solely focused on me.”

She didn’t tell him where she was going, and he didn’t ask. He’d given her a goodbye kiss on the cheek and her whisper against his ear surprised him, “I’ll see you when I see you, brother.” It was an empty promise, he knew that, but still better than just a few days before when she’d cut all ties.

It made his heart lighter, which he hadn’t thought would be possible for the past hundreds of years.

“I still think I packed my favorite polka-dot shirt with me but I can’t find it. What am I gonna pair with my shorts?” He hears Caroline’s frustrated mumbling passing behind him and he laughs silently. And there’s the other reason that his heart feels less burdened. Like it’s growing bright, sweet, huffing-and-puffing talking-nonstop little wings.

“I’d tell you that you look stunning wearing anything or nothing at all, but you’ll just roll your eyes at me.” Klaus turns around to take in her ruffled hair and flushed cheeks.

Caroline stops rummaging and comes to the window side with a smirk, “I’ll still roll my eyes at you even if you don’t say that. Oh wait, you just did.” And true to her words an eye-roll is delivered in all its glory.

Klaus studies her face, a twinkle in his eyes, “what did you say to Rebekah, love?”

“What?” Caroline gapes at him, feigning innocence, “why would I talk to your sister? I can’t stand her. I can barely stand you.”

“So I’m just to believe that she miraculously came around?”

Caroline shrugs, “why not? She’s your sister after all.”

Klaus curls up his lips. Things always seem easy and clear to Caroline. Maybe because she’s young and hasn’t seen much of the mud pool that is the human world yet, or maybe just because she’s Caroline. He may not always agree with her but it’s certainly refreshing to hear her take on things.

The more he gets to know her, the more intrigued he is. How curious.

“Now that I’ve found my sister and seen her off once more-on talking terms this time, might I add,” Klaus starts, gauging at Caroline, choosing every word carefully, “guess it’s time for us to leave.”

Caroline nods, seemingly not aware of the tension in his voice, “it’s all nice here but really quite dull. I don’t know what Rebekah was thinking when she decided to stay here.”

Klaus takes in a quiet breath, giving it another try, “I’m beyond grateful for your company and help these past weeks, Caroline. But I would understand if you feel a bit homesick.”

His heart is in his throat but Caroline just laughs without a care in the world, “is that a ‘thank you’ I’m hearing from you? Wow. I should go buy the lottery.” And not a word about the “homesick” part.

Klaus sighs inwardly. Perhaps that’s her subtle way of rejecting him. Closing the subject before it’s put on the table. They still haven’t talked about their kiss-kisses if he count the one in front of Rebekah’s house. Maybe Caroline regrets it.

“Yes, although it started as a deal between us I may have ended up more in debt to you than I know.” He isn’t sure what magic Caroline worked with his sister but she did make Rebekah reconsider her decision regarding him, and he should really appreciate that, but the words taste like sawdust in his mouth. One moment ago he was so deeply enjoying the world around him, the spring, the flowers, the whispered ramblings of Caroline, and now he just feels detached.

“Don’t mention it. We helped each other, it was a win-win. So I’ll go back to packing then?” Caroline gestures towards her pile of clothes on the sofa.

“Caroline.” Klaus calls out to her and Caroline stops, quirking an eyebrow in inquire. He doesn’t remember feeling so out of depth his whole life, licking his lips nervously as incoherent words form on his tongue, “do you perhaps have some ideas? About where you are going?” He doesn’t dare to use the word “we” now.

Caroline’s eyelashes flutter and he gets the impression that she’s seeing right through him. “You seem to be asking a lot about what people want these days.” He knows she’s referring to his conversation with Rebekah, “I don’t know if I should be surprised or scared.”

“I’ll keep in mind not to make it a habit.” Klaus looks out the window, feeling too exposed.

“You know, I was talking to Bonnie the other day when she fixed my seashell. And something she said got me thinking.”

Klaus lands his hands on the window sill, pressing down hard, “well I’m sure the witch had many scintillating opinions about me.”

“Not _that_.” Caroline huffs, “although she did say she would gladly thwart your plans again for what you did to her.”

Klaus snorts exasperated, “gave her an inch and that’s what happens. I should have known.”

Caroline ignores his angered remark, “she asked me why I risked everything for the seashell. Well technically I wouldn’t say I risked everything but you know Bonnie-coming with you, plotting with you, working with you, it’s all a big risk to her.”

“What are you getting at?” He’s nervous as hell and his patience is running thin.

“I told her I never let anything come between me and what I want.” Caroline nudges him playfully with her shoulder and his fingers clenching on the window sill instantly soften, “you see? My seashell, the dress, the mall,” they share a laugh at that, “being a part of your plan. What I want, I always get.”

There’s so much strength but also so much uncertainty in her voice. Klaus turns back to face her, looking into her stormy blue eyes and all the secrets they hold. They are trying to ask him or tell him something, something that’s already been decided and neither of them has any control over. The answer is just beyond their gluing gaze but they still have to uncover it. In the next second or the next millennium, Klaus doesn’t know-yet.

“And I want you.”

The world stops as those words tumble out of her trembling lips.

“I want _you_ , Klaus.”

Then it starts spinning wildly and all they can hold on to is each other.

Their lips crush together like stars, bumping and shaking with storms and fire. There are too many lips and teeth and tongue, but at the same time there’s not enough. He devours her, plundering her mouth with his tongue, not missing one spot. She’s licking and sucking and biting and it’s an utter chaos. Sensations burst inside his mouth, sweetness and pain and arousal, mixing but not blending, the constant push and pull.

But unlike their battling mouths their bodies fit as one. He doesn’t know whose hand is on whom and he doesn’t care. She’s an extension of him and vice versa. Everything melts together and the heat is rising and rising, so smooth and rampant.

Their clothes disappear before they notice, falling into bed wrapped around each other, their lips not separating for one second. Caroline is moaning softly into his mouth, the sound going straight down to his groin, making him hard as hell.

He rubs himself against her abdomen as his hand travels down to her chest and kneads her left breast. Her long moan is vibrating just under his palm, making his fingertips tingle like flints. He draws fire wherever he goes, planting growing flames around her breast and cleavage, tucking her shattered breaths greedily under his tongue. Finally he approaches her hardened nipple and brushes it.

Caroline jerks as a sharp gasp leaves her throat and their lower half press so tight he can’t stop the groan from his own chest. But his fingers don’t stop, flipping and pinching with precise skill and raw passion. He’s relentless, to her and to himself, their body writhing against each other the sweetest torture they can inflict. And they take it all in strides, head dizzy and skin scorching.

He inhales deeply, his hypersensitive sense of smell catching every trace of Caroline’s arousal wafting in the air and it’s almost intoxicating. Klaus can’t hold it in any longer as he lifts up a little and pushes his hand along her silky creamy skin, down her flat stomach and cute belly button until he reaches her core. He can feel Caroline’s anticipation as she continues to attack his mouth with bated breath. But just as he was about to press down his fingers, both of them freeze.

There under his hovering hand, shining blue and silver in the afternoon sun.

Caroline’s tail.

“Wh-what?” Caroline’s stuttering in disbelief, “how’s that possible?”

Klaus looks bewildered at her. He’s just as clueless as she is, if not more so-she’s the only hybrid mermaid he’s ever seen.

“I never shift on land!” Caroline pushes her hair back in frustration, “my legs gets into water and they turn into a tail. It’s that simple.”

Klaus can’t hide an amused smirk, “well I didn’t think you were that wet, although I didn’t get to test it just yet.”

Caroline slaps at his chest, her face blushing more than before, “this is NOT a joke, perv!” She pushes Klaus off of her, her tail wiggling helplessly, “how can this be? I don’t even know how to change back. It always just happens-I can’t will it!”

Klaus sighs, pushing his hand through his own hair, equally frustrated now, “well maybe we could get you into wa-”

He is interrupted by the beeping of his phone. Coincidence? He doesn’t think so.

Reaching into the pocket of his pants thrown on the floor, he fetches his phone under Caroline’s glare. But he’s too busy fuming inside to explain to her.

It’s a text message. From Bonnie Bennett.

_Klaus, this is a burner phone so don’t bother calling back. You probably think you are pretty magnanimous for ‘granting me mercy’, but I’m not quite done with thwarting your plans. Consider this a warning. Next time you mess with me, I’ll do way more than cockblocking. P. S. Caroline, don’t worry. Just think about what you really want and if you get it, you’ll be back to normal. It can go either way._

“What does that mean?” Caroline shrills in his ear, having taken a peek at the message over his shoulder.

“I know exactly what she means. The bloody witch!” Klaus throws the phone back down to the floor, his face dark, “I’ll run her down and when I’m done with her she’ll know what mercy looks like.”

“Klaus!” Caroline snaps her finger in his face, “focus. What is Bonnie saying? How can I change back?”

Klaus heaves a deep sigh, suddenly more than aware of their proximity and the heat radiating off Caroline’s body against his, “well…you just said what you wanted, sweetheart. And according to the witch that’s the key.”

“So what? I get it on with you and I get my legs back?” Caroline furrows her brows, “but I thought we were just…”

Klaus clears his throat, “the wording of the text clearly indicates that we have to do a bit more than ‘get it on’. If I have to hazard a guess…”

“I’m going out of my mind here Klaus, just spit it out!”

He licks his lips, his eyes becoming a little hooded at the words he’s about to say, “I believe the spell means for you to orgasm before shifting back to you normal state.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Klaus shrugs, “the last sentence suggests that you could either reach a climax or snuff the lust altogether, depending on what your heart truly desires. But since you’ve so clearly expressed your inclinations,” he breaks into a smug grin, “I don’t see another choice.”

“I’m going to kill Bonnie after this!” Caroline growls and drops onto her back, “you hear me? Not you, me! No matter what issues she had or still has with you it doesn’t give her the right to meddle in my sex life! If she thinks she can just-”

“Caroline,” he suddenly plants a kiss on her breast, just beside the nipple and her breath hitches, her ranting stuck in her throat, “focus.”

He laps at her nipple nice and slow, feeling it growing rigid once again under the ministrations of his tongue. He sucks the nipple between his lips and nips at it with his blunt human teeth, every nip eliciting a shiver and a gasp from Caroline. Her skin heats up under his palms till they are burning, like they’ve never stopped. As his sucks become harder and his hands press down with more force, he can feel Caroline’s tail thrashing on the sheet and she lets out a tiny whimper that simultaneously tugs at his heart and swells his cock.

“I don’t know how we are going to…” Caroline gets out between moans, “I don’t think I can.”

“There’s always a way, sweetheart.” Klaus kisses up her chest to her neck, licking behind her ear, “leave it to me.”

Her eyes flutter half shut before suddenly she flips them over, a fierce look on her face. “No,” she leans down with an evil smirk at the corner of her lips, “I refuse to be the only one coming.” Then those sinful lips wrap around his nipple and it’s Klaus’ turn to gasp. She’s using way more teeth than he did, tugging ruthlessly till he grunts, but also soothing him instantly with her soft tongue and the sharp pain turns into more heated arousal.

Eventually Klaus can’t take it anymore. He feels like either he or Caroline is going to explode or they are going to combust together, so he pulls her up and gives her a rough kiss on the lips, “if that’s the case, we’ll have to get it right.”

He picks Caroline up and flips her again-she weighs nothing in his arms-with her head to his abdomen and him facing her tail, both reclining on their sides. “Do whatever you want with me, but focus on your own arousal.” He palms her tail gently, inch after inch. The scales feel cold to the touch but underneath them the heat of her body is seeping through and she shivers.

Klaus smirks against her, “I thought so. It must be really sensitive to help you keep your balance in the water. All those currents and waves, and you have to stay attuned to the tiniest shift. You are truly magnificent.” His fingers are roaming the lower half of her body now, igniting fire after fire until she’s burning white-hot to the core, but one more touch or one more kiss and she’s shown that she can burn hotter, hotter still, “feel me like you feel the tides, Caroline.”

As if responding, he feels Caroline’s lips on his abdomen, and his breath hitches from the fiery touch. She goes further down, planting kisses all around his cock but not touching it, and he moans while licking her lower belly, “you like teasing me, don’t you, sweetheart? Feeling all powerful and strong that I’m at your mercy. And you are so hot like this.” He grunts as she finally takes his hard cock in her hands and presses an open-mouthed kiss to the base.

“Can you feel that? Can you feel how turned on I am for you, Caroline?” As an unexpected answer Caroline licks his cocks from bottom to top, sucking the skin along the side in the process.

Klaus sighs as a wave of heat runs from his cock to his head, her tongue surrounding him like hot lava. He reciprocates by playing with the tender flesh around her waist and his cock grows harder in her gasps. She lingers at the tip and wraps her lips tightly around it, her tongue now playing just around the slit and Klaus sucks in a breath to steady himself, his eyes fluttering shut but he doesn’t stop his hand, feeling every ripple in Caroline’s body and rousing her further.

“Did I ever tell you about my fantasy?” He strains to keep his voice from trembling around the edges, arousal booming beneath every word, “I want to take you in the sea, sweetheart. I know your tail comes out in the water but I imagine you in your human form. So hot and smoking around me. The cold waves would swallow us whole but you’d only feel the heat, of us burning together.”

But as he speaks what swallows him isn’t the waves. It’s Caroline. She takes him in deep and fast, his cock sliding against her pliant tongue and the inner side her mouth, hitting the gentle squeeze of the back of her throat. It’s heaven and hell wrapped up in one and Klaus almost screams from the buzzing senses running amok in his body.

He has not completely recovered from the assault when Caroline’s head starts bobbing up and down, her hands remaining at the bottom of his cock, pumping where her lips and tongue can’t reach. Klaus swallows hard, leaning his forehead against Caroline’s tail as he reaches down to grab Caroline’s breast, pinching her nipples and then rubbing them. Caroline’s muffled moans hasn’t even reached his ears before he feels her throat closing in on the tip of his cock, and his own moan mingles with hers.

“I’d want you to do this to me in the sea.” He kisses her slender waist, etching the words onto her skin with scorching breaths, “with the salt water filling your mouth. But not as much as I’m filling you. You’d feel so stuffed you can barely let out a sound, but the ones you do make, the sexy moans and whimpers, they will go right through me, I’d taste them on my tongue a thousand times. The ocean gets nothing-you are all mine.”

Caroline’s moans are growing louder now, and every sound indeed vibrates against his cock. Her writhing tail tumbles in the air before it strains in unbearable wanting and curls around his neck, the fin at the end caressing and nuzzling at his collar bone.

Klaus knows she’s close, the same as he knows he can’t hold it much longer. “But more than anything I want to push my cock into your tight wet pussy and fuck you senseless.”

Caroline slips a hand to his balls, squeezing and stroking. An inhuman growl rumbles from Klaus’ chest, and he manages to breathe out the last of his words, “you’d feel me in you, so deep and so hard. And you’d come around me, shaking with the whole sea.” He holds onto her tight and presses his lips to where her skin blends into scales.

He sends an image of him thrusting into Caroline’s contracting pussy to her as she sucks hard with his cock deep down her throat. He goes rigid, white lights bursting behind his eyelids. His cock keeps pulsing in Caroline’s mouth and he feels her swallowing him down as her body trembles violently. Then suddenly the tail around his neck is gone, and Caroline’s long legs are lying limp beside him on the bed.

He brushes her ankle with his lips and pulls her back up after a minute with his eyes closed, both still heaving and still dizzy from the high. He kisses her deep and long, tasting himself in her mouth, and he can’t remember being more satisfied and sated.

They lie in each other’s arms for a while, too spent to move, his fingers absently weaving through Caroline’s silky tresses.

“What was that?” Caroline asks quietly, and Klaus knows she’s talking about the image he sent her towards the end.

“Another of my vampire tricks.” He smirks.

Caroline’s giggles rolls off of his chest, “I told you they had their perks.”

Just then the doorbell rings and Klaus groans, throwing an arm to cover his eyes in exasperation, “now what?” But he relents under Caroline’s nudge, pulling on his pants and goes to the door. He swears inwardly he’ll feed on whomever it is till their legs wobble if it’s nothing important.

To his utter surprise it’s a delivery from Rebekah. He twirls the bottle of Chianti wine from one of their vineyards in Tuscany and can hardly contain the smile sneaking up his face.

“You look happy.” Caroline walks out with the sheet wrapped loosely around her, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glowing, “what is it?”

Klaus puts the bottle down and pulls her into his arms, “just another little clue.” He tugs at a curl of her hair, “but to keep everyone from interrupting us I think it’s high time we went on a trip of our own.” He grins at Caroline, “I remember offering to show you Paris at night.”

“Hmmm…I don’t know.” Caroline taps her chin playfully with her index finger, “I kind of want to take you to see the ocean. You know, properly. It’s my turf after all.”

He wants to tell her that he can see the ocean in her eyes, but that’s a bit too cheesy even for him. So he just kisses her once more and loses himself in those endless cornflower blues.


End file.
